Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 49

FO R M

Form is an inclusive term that has several meanings. It may refer to an external
appearance that can be recognized, as that of a chair or the human body that
sits in it. It may also allude to a particular condition in which something acts
or manifests itself, as when we speak of water in the form of ice or steam.
In art and design, we often use the term to denote the formal structure of a
work—the manner of arranging and coordinating the elements and parts of a
composition so as to produce a coherent image.

In the context of this study, form suggests reference to both internal
structure and external outline and the principle that gives unity to the whole.
While form often includes a sense of three-dimensional mass or volume, shape
refers more specifically to the essential aspect of form that governs its
appearance—the configuration or relative disposition of the lines or contours
that delimit a figure or form.

Shape

The characteristic outline or surface
configuration of a particular form.
Shape is the principal aspect by which
we identify and categorize forms.

In addition to shape, forms have
visual properties of:
Size

Color

A phenomenon of light and visual
perception that may be described in
terms of an individual’s perception of
hue, saturation, and tonal value. Color
is the attribute that most clearly
distinguishes a form from its environment. It also affects the visual weight
of a form.

Texture

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

The physical dimensions of length,
width, and depth of a form. While
these dimensions determine the
proportions of a form, its scale is
determined by its size relative to
other forms in its context.

The visual and especially tactile
quality given to a surface by the size,
shape, arrangement, and proportions
of the parts. Texture also determines
the degree to which the surfaces of a
form reflect or absorb incident light.