Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 36

PLANAR ELEMENTS

Sitting Area, Lawrence House,
Sea Ranch, California, 1966, MLTW/
Moore-Turnbull

The floor plane is the horizontal element that sustains the force of gravity as
we move around and place objects for our use on it. It may be a durable covering
of the ground plane or a more artificial, elevated plane spanning the space
between its supports. In either case, the texture and density of the flooring
material influences both the acoustical quality of a space and how we feel as we
walk across its surface.
While the pragmatic, supportive nature of the floor plane limits the extent
to which it can be manipulated, it is nonetheless an important element of
architectural design. Its shape, color, and pattern determine to what degree
it defines spatial boundaries or serves as a unifying element for the different
parts of a space.
Like the ground plane, the form of a floor plane can be stepped or terraced to
break the scale of a space down to human dimensions and create platforms for
sitting, viewing, or performing. It can be elevated to define a sacred or honorific
place. It can be rendered as a neutral ground against which other elements in a
space are seen as figures.
Emperor's Seat, Imperial Palace, Kyoto, Japan, 17th century

Bacardi Office Building,
Santiago de Cuba, 1958,
Mies van der Rohe
P RIMARY ELEMENTS / 2 1