4.1 [Assignments] Plan and Section
Analysis
LA_2… EU Emre Umit
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Table of Contents Module 4: Light, Shade, and Symbolism Module 4 Graded Coursework 4.1 [Assignments] Plan and Section Analysis
View topic instructions.
Instructions
Research is about being curious. You have to ask a lot of good questions. Plan and
section drawings are great places to get answers. First, find a good plan and a
good section of your site (you should have a plan from the last assignment). Make
sure the drawings are big enough for you see everything well. Next, analyze them
by asking good questions, and the list below might help:
How are different spaces defined and distinct from one another? How are
they joined?
What are the most important architectural elements? Architectural
elements include the following:
linear elements, such as columns, beams, arches, etc.
planes, such as walls, ceilings, domes, floors, ground/site
articulation, etc.
objects, such as closed domes, cubes, sculptures, etc.
circulation—paths, gathering nodes, primary views in and out, public
vs. private space, etc.
solids and voids and the relationship between them
What are the visual properties of the architecture? These might include the
following:
shapes, such as square, round, octagonal, or pyramidal shapes
size/scale, such as height and width in comparison to the human
body or other structures
regular and/or irregular forms, such as basic, complex, or organic
shapes
symmetry or asymmetry: Do parts mirror each other on an axis or
are they unbalanced?
open or closed, light or heavy, transparent or opaque qualities of
thickness and openness
vertical or horizontal orientation, as shown by being tall, long, or
wide
How are the parts related to one another?
Are they radiant or magnetic: Did the plan grow outward or divide
inward?
Are they additive or subtractive: Did the architecture add to its site
or carve into it?
Are they adjacent or overlapping: Are the spaces defined and
separate, or interlocking?
Are they centralized or linear: Do the parts extend from a center or
align along an axis?
Are they ordered or organic: Do parts sit on a grid or seem to grow
to form a cluster?
Do they have repetition or rhythm: Does an element repeat or
alternate in a pattern?
Do they have a hierarchy of parts: Are elements emphasized by
scale, shape, or placement?
Write your analyses on one full page, include the plan and section drawings on the
second page, and list the sources for your images (and any other sources you used)
in a Works Cited on the third page. Here is an MLA resource, and you can
download a useful guide here:
ARH Citation Standards (pdf, 600.1 KB)
Purpose
Reference Rubric
Please see the accompanying Plan and Section Analysis:
Reference Rubric page for details on expectations.
