Spatial Typologies and Spatial Organisations

Spatial Typologies and Spatial Organisations

Why are architectural spatial typologies and spatial organisations so important in design?

It took me several years to understand what architecture is. It’s an abstract notion that for many could be difficult to grasp. Architects have very clear responsibilities however they have fluid, individual work flows. This is one of the reasons why architecture can be difficult to teach. Architecture universities have different ways of teaching design and the methods keep constantly changing and updating.

I am thankful for this. When I was a student, the idea was to immediately start with design research. Iterate, iterate, iterate. Receive feedback, critiques and start over. It was a lot of work and many times frustrating.

Returning back to uni as an assistant professor, I’ve had the opportunity to see how the teaching method has changed in a positive way. Before jumping into architectural design, students now go through spatial classifications.

Here they are, two distinct classifications, developed several centuries apart, still valid.


Spatial Typologies

Around the year 1800, French architecture teacher Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand anticipated the impact the Industrial Revolution would have on building construction. He and his students embarked on drawing a giant database of already constructed buildings, categorizing them according to their spatial qualities. Durand was a Neoclassical architect, so I had to slightly modify the list below in order for it to be used as a design tool for first year architecture students.

1. Centralized space

 

2. Chambered space

3. Linear space

 

3. Hypostyle space

4. Portico

 

5. Courtyard


Spatial Organisations

Almost 300 years later, architect lecturer Francis Ching writes an architecture handbook titled Form, Space and Order. The architect filled it with concise texts and many diagrams synthesizing a vast collection of design tools for architects.

I am heavily quoting a YouTube video by professor Stuart Hicks. According to Ching, these are the only 5 ways to organize a building:

 

1. Centralized

Architecture Centralised Space Organisation | sorinadumitru.com

Similar to the centralized spatial typology, elements are arranged around a central point. The primary central point doesn’t have to be round, but it must have several axes of symmetry. The elements are arranged concentrically and the central point is also the largest element of the ensemble.

 

2. Linear

Architecture Linear Organisation | sorinadumitru.com

A long space that may have intermittent elements or end point elements.

 

3. Radial

Architecture Radial Spatial Organisation | sorinadumitru.com

This is not a centralized organisation. It can, however, be a collection of linear spaces arranged radially in relation to a central point. The central point does not exceed the size or importance of the radially arranged elements.

 

4. Clustered

Architecture Clustered Spatial Organisation | sorinadumitru.com

Elements of different size and importance are put together in sub assemblies which may or may not be connected to each other.

 

5. Grid

Architecture Grid Spatial Organisation | sorinadumitru.com

Elements are sized and positioned in relation to an invisible grid. The architect establishes a single unit of measure and each element’s size is a multiple of this single unit.


Conclusion

Spatial typologies are primarily used to design the inside of buildings, having effect on the outer shell as a consequence. Spatial organizations, however, are systematic ways of placing several types of architectural units in relation to one another. For a building, the spatial typology is oftentimes in direct relation to the spatial organization and vice versa.

These tools may seem abstract but they are actually very useful. They allow us to design coherent architectural spaces. Coherence is very important in architecture as it directly impacts not only how we perceive it, how easily we understand how to use it, but also how it may evolve over time. We should always look at newly constructed buildings as open ended questions. Its adaptability is what keeps it usable over the passage of time.

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