Actualizing the Idea

47. Square buildings are difficult to organize because they don’t suggest movement, congregation and habitation.
48. Consider how daylight varies with compass orientation and time of day.
49. Windows look dark in the daytime
50. Make sure Primary users are uninterrupted by through-traffic.
    • The best placement of a circulation path (i.e., where people go through) through a small room is usually straight through, a few feet from one wall.
    • The worst placement is diagonal or parallel to the long axis.
51. The proportions of a building are an aesthetic statement of how it was built. Traditional buildings tend to be short horizontally and have vertical windows due to wood or stone. Modern buildings can have any span due to steel, and their windows are usually horizontal.
52. Traditional buildings have thick exterior walls to support the weight of the building. Modern buildings have thin walls.
53. Traditional architecture employs a base-middle-top format.
    • The base expresses structural support. It is typically rusticated to suggest it is heavy and thick.
    • The top symbolically announces the building’s purpose or spirit.
54. When introducing floor level changes, avoid the Dick Van Dyke step (i.e., only one step up). Use three steps at minimum to avoid people tripping.
55. Columns are not merely structural elements. Columns can organize shape and space. They can use as boundaries, thresholds, wayfinding elements, or add a rhythmic element.
    • Rectangular columns establish directionality.
    • Round columns contribute to a flowing sense of space.
    • Complex column shapes create richly interwoven spaces.
56. Anchors are program elements that inherently draw people to them. Careful anchor placement generates an active interior. Forego efficiency and convenience with a buzz-worthy attraction. This gives an opportunity to share architectural experiences.
57. A duck is a building that projects its meaning in a literal way.
58. A decorated shed is a conventional building that conveys meaning through signage or ornaments.
59. Account for seasonal changes. People, for example, wear thicker clothes in the winter.

Links §

• 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School