Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 43

VO L U ME

A plane extended in a direction other than its intrinsic
direction becomes a volume. Conceptually, a volume has
three dimensions: length, width, and depth.

All volumes can be analyzed and understood to consist
of:
• points or vertices where several planes come together
• lines or edges where two planes meet
• planes or surfaces that define the limits or boundaries
of a volume

Form is the primary identifying characteristic
of a volume. It is established by the shapes and
interrelationships of the planes that describe the
boundaries of the volume.

As the three-dimensional element in the vocabulary of
architectural design, a volume can be either a solid—
space displaced by mass—or a void—space contained
or enclosed by planes.

28 / A R C H I TE C TU R E : F O R M , S PA C E , & O R D E R