Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 246

G RI D ORG A N I Z AT I ON S

A grid is established in architecture most often by a
skeletal structural system of columns and beams. Within
the field of this grid, spaces can occur as isolated events
or as repetitions of the grid module. Regardless of their
disposition within the field, these spaces, if seen as positive
forms, will create a second set of negative spaces.

Since a three-dimensional grid consists of repetitive,
modular units of space, it can be subtracted from, added
to, or layered, and still maintain its identity as a grid with
the ability to organize spaces. These formal manipulations
can be used to adapt a grid form to its site, to define an
entrance or outdoor space, or to allow for its growth and
expansion.

To accommodate the specific dimensional requirements of
its spaces or to articulate zones of space for circulation
or service, a grid can be made irregular in one or two
directions. This dimensional transformation would create
a hierarchical set of modules differentiated by size,
proportion, and location.

A grid can also undergo other transformations. Portions of
the grid can slide to alter the visual and spatial continuity
across its field. A grid pattern can be interrupted to define
a major space or accommodate a natural feature of its site.
A portion of the grid can be dislocated and rotated about
a point in the basic pattern. Across its field, a grid can
transform its image from a pattern of points to lines, to
planes, and finally, to volumes.

ORGANIZATION / 2 3 1