LA.219 MOD.4.1

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

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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.