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?
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