Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 40

PLANAR ELEMENTS

Hangar, Design I, 1935, Pier Luigi Nervi.
The lamella structure expresses the way forces are resolved and channeled
down to the roof supports.

While we walk on a floor and have physical contact with walls, the ceiling plane
is usually out of our reach and is almost always a purely visual event in a space.
It may be the underside of an overhead floor or roof plane and express the
form of its structure as it spans the space between its supports, or it may be
suspended as the upper enclosing surface of a room or hall.

Brick House, New Canaan, Connecticut, 1949, Philip
Johnson. The detached vaulted ceiling plane appears to float
above the bed.
As a detached lining, the ceiling plane can symbolize the sky vault or be the
primary sheltering element that unifies the different parts of a space. It can
serve as a repository for frescoes and other means of artistic expression or be
treated simply as a passive or receding surface. It can be raised or lowered to
alter the scale of a space or to define spatial zones within a room. Its form can
be manipulated to control the quality of light or sound within a space.

Church at Vuoksenniska, Finland, 1956, Alvar Aalto.
The form of the ceiling plane defines a progression of spaces and enhances their acoustical quality.
P RIMARY ELEMENTS / 2 5