Building Simply 03: Order and composition
Building Simply 03:Order and composition
As a studio, we strive to create places which are beautiful, ethical and contextual. With this in mind, our work is informed by the principles of ‘Building Simply’ - architecture of simple forms, thoughtfully composed and constructed in a logical, legible and resourceful way from local materials to create a sense of timeless beauty and authenticity. Places are designed and constructed in a direct but refined way, with quiet appropriateness and genuine functionality in mind, rather than the louder formal manifestation of iconic architecture. A responsible, ethical and economical approach to resource use and a critical approach to site are adopted, resulting in buildings which are cost-effective, intrinsically sustainable and express an empathy with the landscapes in which they sit.
This series of articles explores the idea of building simply - what it means in terms of design, construction and sustainability; what we can learn from vernacular building; why we advocate this approach; and what the challenges are in the contemporary context.
This article, along with the following two, sets out our framework for Building Simply. The framework covers a number of themes which describe the different aspects of Building Simply. The themes follow the design and construction process from the analysis of the site, through design, to detailing and sustainability. This post focuses on the composition and form-making elements of the design process, which need to be ordered and rational, whereas the following articles look at materials and construction and eco-simplicity. In a sense, the framework is a non-prescriptive guide for how to build simply; it establishes a set of criteria for Building Simply, but there are many ways in which it can be achieved.
Our Framework for Building Simply
Respond to the Landscape:
- Use local materials
- Building responds to topography and climate
Minimise:
- Reduce the design to the essentials
Obey the Rules:
- Use systems to simplify and order
- Obey laws of nature
Clear and Legible:
- Use simple architectural language (Not stylistic)
Composition:
- Use basic elements
- Use simple geometric form, construction and materials
- Compose mass and space
Materials:
- Express material properties
- Use raw materials
Construction:
- Minimise the processes
- Use mono-material over layered construction
Sustainability:
- Use ‘eco-simplicity’ rather than high-tech
Topographic models help us to understand and respond to landscape and context.
Respond to the Landscape
The process of Building Simply should begin with a thorough analysis of the site and context. The landscape in which a building sits has the potential to offer energy, materials and a sense of place and belonging. It may also hold construction traditions which have developed over hundreds of years in response to the topography and available resources. Responding appropriately to this cultural heritage can help to simplify the building as well as helping it belong. Creating a sense of place and relationship to context entails an understanding and response to the site and landscape, especially in terms of geometry, scale and materials. A relationship between building and landscape is visible where locally extracted or locally grown materials are used. The relationship may also extend to form and geometry where buildings respond to patterns and scale of the surroundings, whether these are rural or urban. This simplifies because variety and diversity are not added to the place. Analysis of the site is also important from a sustainability point of view. If we understand the topography and climate, we can employ passive design strategies to reduce the building’s energy demand and carbon emissions. A carefully sited, oriented and composed building will make uses of the natural resources from the sun, wind, earth and sky. The demand for mechanical heating, cooling and electric lighting is then reduced, meaning that complex high-tech building services are not required.
Minimise
Minimising is about making things as simple as possible by reducing complexity. The definition of the word minimise is ‘To reduce (esp. something unwanted or unpleasant) to the smallest possible amount, extent, or degree.’ In terms of architecture, this means getting rid of inessentials so that only the basic elements of the building remain. The essence of the building is condensed and strengthened in this way, and achieves more with less. A minimum cannot be made simpler.
‘Minimise’ is not necessarily the same as Minimalism. Minimalism in the arts usually refers to the visual appearance, but what appears minimal and simple to the eye on the surface, may in fact be complex underneath. For Building Simply, architecture may have a minimal appearance, without decoration; but it is also minimised in its form, composition and construction. The number of materials, components and joints used in constructing the building is also minimised. In order to reduce complexity, the essential elements of the building may be doing more than one thing. For larger buildings, which have a natural tendency to be more complex than smaller buildings, it may be necessary to reduce complexity through repetition. A generic form or type can be repeated to accommodate a complex project brief. In this way the number of different forms and buildings types is minimised. The same can be said for repetitive use of building products and components in construction which come together to form a simple whole.
Obey the rules
Rules and systems bring order and simplify complexity. Just as the rules in a game of football prevent the match turning into chaos and the laws of a country are enforced to keep order, rules can be applied to architecture to bring order and simplicity to building. Some rules are created and imposed by the designer, whereas others already exist in the world. The latter are sometimes referred to as the laws of nature.
When aiming to build simply, an architect may create and impose a set of rules or systems to inform design decisions. These rules give control and logic to a design, and can be used to organise complex functions, determine the building form or direct construction methods. Rules can be used to inform design decisions relating to the building’s plan, form, elevations, detailing and materials. A well-defined concept can act as an ordering system. In ‘Simply Good’, Florian Musso describes how a concept can bring clarity and order:
“ Clear concepts bring order to a complex problem. The concept is a caricature of the interaction of the systems within the design… Concepts link formal and structural simplicity to architecture. In a concept, systems are organised, with a high-quality detailing, to provide quality of space and comprehensibility 1.”
One example of a conceptual, designer-imposed system is the grid. A grid can be used as a spatial organiser at various scales, to order the structural system and to compose elevations. The grid brings control to the dimensions of forms and components, as well as aligning them. In this way it helps to simplify the building.
Concept plan. A grid pattern defines solid and void – building and spaces in between.
Other ordering principles may relate to the structural system and technologies used. In sizing the structural elements, an engineer will use rules or formulae to calculate the dimensions required. Each structural system has its own set of rules which must be obeyed if the structure is to perform. For Building Simply, the structural rules are followed in the most simple and straightforward way, without breaking or bending them in the attempt to create fanciful shapes or gymnastic forms. The rules attached to a structural system also influence the form and spatial organisation. To achieve simplicity, the layout of the building should work in harmony with the rules of the structural system as opposed to fighting against them.
Structures and constructions are themselves governed by the laws of nature and physical law. For example, gravity acts on the mass of a building, pulling it towards the ground. Different constructions respond differently to these natural forces due to the inherent properties of the materials they use. Building Simply expresses the inherent properties of the materials it uses by obeying these laws. For example, where stone is used, its mass and heaviness are expressed through thick, solid, load-bearing construction. Large cantilevers and thin, surface fixed claddings are avoided as these try to work against the laws of gravity. The treatment of openings can be used to further reveal the mass and express the heavy nature of the material.
Clear and Legible
One definition of the word simply is, ‘in simple language, with simplicity of speech, with no attempt at style; also, so as to be readily understood, plainly, clearly’. Building Simply employs simple architectural language. It is easy to understand because the complexity is minimised. This simplicity can be easily read in the form of the building or the elements that it is composed of. The observer can read these by looking at the building and can understand what the building is. This lucidity is achieved through the minimising and expression of the elements that form the building. For example, a roof looks like a roof because it is functional and rational. It is there to provide shelter from the rain and wind and is designed to do so efficiently, rather than taking on a wilful, quirky form. Building Simply is straightforward and unpretentious.
Building Simply also seeks legibility in the use of materials and construction methods. Because the materials used in Building Simply are not highly processed and are used in a way that it true to their natural qualities, they are easily identified. Hidden materials in the construction are avoided as this is confusing and not a truthful expression. Multi-layered construction hides materials, such as insulations, vapour barriers and fixings from view; whereas minimising the material palette and moving toward solid construction makes the building easier to read. Tectonic expression is encouraged.
Composition
Building Simply employs simple building geometry. In contrast to the exuberant sculptural forms of so-called iconic architecture, the geometry of Building Simply is refined, calm, quiet and dignified. It is ordered and orthogonal. This ordering and orthogonality are a result of rational and efficient construction and functionality, not wilful form making. The rationalised geometry may also be the result of the rules or systems described above. Where regular dimensions are used, the geometry will establish a rhythm or pattern which is naturally regular. The geometric composition is similar at a smaller, detail scale and at the wider scale of the building as a whole or even a larger development, where overall scale and form become important.
Elements
A simple way to think about the composition of architecture is to consider it as made up of a number of basic elements, put together to define a space or create buildings. The elements might include wall, floor, roof, opening, column; and each is used in a straightforward way within the composition. Through the design process, the composition is refined so that the elements are minimised and the form simplified as far as possible.
Mass and Space
Mass and space (or solid and void) provide a simple, elemental description of architectural composition, construction and experience. Building material (mass) is arranged and joined to create rooms and buildings which we experience (space). In Building Simply, the relationship between mass and space is clearly defined. One of the most simple and primitive examples of mass-defined space is a cave. The space of the cave exists as a void in the mass of the earth or rock. The cave might be naturally occurring, or it might be a space carved out of the earth. ‘Carving’ out mass creates space, but space can also be created by building mass into elements, and then combining those elements to define space.
The distinction between mass and space is most apparent when a building has a monolithic aesthetic, expressing the solidity and heaviness of the mass. Whilst it is possible to build simply with lightweight materials, massive construction, by its nature, lends architecture a timeless, monolithic, elemental character. Whatever materials are chosen, thinking about the basic mass-space dichotomy whilst designing helps in achieving a simple outcome.
Footnotes
1 Florian Musso, ‘Simply Good’, in Building Simply, ed. by Christian Schittich (Switzerland: Birkhäuser, 2005), pp. 11-25 (p. 19)
Image references
01 Topographic settlement model, Rhian Thomas at Design Research Unit Wales
02 Respite care home plan studies, Rhian Thomas at Design Research Unit Wales
03 Concept plan, Amanda Spence at Design Research Unit Wales
04 Wine Store, Vauvert, France by Perraudin Architects, Christian Schittich, Building Simply (Switzerland: Birkhauser 2005)
05 Studies and research for an integrated care home, Rhian Thomas at Design Research Unit Wales