The Appearance of the FormHabraken, N. J.
Cambridge, Awater Press, 1985. Second ed. 1988.
“The Appearance of the form” is a small book with a collection of four essays on designing that takes place between people and things. It meditates upon the nature of designing but, where most design theories consider the individual act of creativity and invention, here the author seeks to distinguish designing from such acts. Designing is just one-way in which people can be creative.
Throughout history sophisticated and complex forms have come about and have been produced and modified for long stretches of time without any apparent evidence of designing at all. Houses, boats, even grand pianos and other artifacts have been products of collective knowledge without a trace of documentation or description. They are evidence of undeniable creativity, taste, and ingenuity, but we cannot identify a single creator, tastemaker, or inventor.
The things we make and which we use and have around us, are objects belonging to a social body in the life of which they participate and by which they are called into being and from which the duration of their existence depends.
The act of designing seems to occur in special cases. It is a self conscious and explicit act, resulting in an artifact we call ' a design'- which is not the thing itself but its representation. A design is always an extension of the more implicit and anonymous existence of forms that is the norm. Indeed, even highly formalized processes of production and creation, like those applied to the making of airplanes, cars and, indeed buildings, always seem to include an important component of implicit collective knowing of the form, which is not on record and without which the many participants and specializations could not work together to any coherent result.
Essay one: 'Sharing': Explores the collective understanding of complex forms: e.g. the bark canoe among North American Indians, the production of the Grand Piano among craftsmen in a factory, the building of vernacular ships, etc.
Essay two: 'Designing': The act of designing as it emerges from this shared knowing; we begin to see the form appear and gradually come to full description. To succeed in this process of gradual specification the form must remain embedded in a social body and must grow in the context of the largely implicit constraints that body stands for. The distinction between 'creating' and 'designing' becomes crucial, although it is seldom made.
Essay three: 'Seeing': How do we experience forms around us. To see a form it must not only exist in our social space, but we must also share real physical space with it. If we find ourselves in the same space but outside the form, we experience the latter as a machine that 'performs' when we prod it. But a building we experience from inside, it makes the space we occupy. That difference seems important for the relation between us and the things we make. Hierarchy in complex form is another important aspect usually only implicitly understood.
Essay four: 'Controlling': How can we know forms that cannot be seen in their entirety because they are part of still larger forms? How do we know our house from others in a row, our apartment from others in the same building, one room from another in that apartment? How do we see how, among a thousand objects, some belong to a same ‘system’? We can do this because the entities we 'know' are units of control. We understand environment most commonly and most intuitively in terms of control. This brings us back to where we started: the merging of social structure and physical form.
***Summary of the book by the author himself.***
This is a book to read for people with a lot of interest in designing and especially for those emphasizing on the process of designing. It ponders more into an objects form with relation to technology, social structure, object’s position in design hierarchy, and how constraints and creation of a form moves to and fro in the process of designing. For those in their initial designing stage, it’s a lesson on design process, and for those into professions, it’s a benchmark to judge ones work process and to gear up for better design solutions for the community.
Architecture – Form, Space and Order
Francis DK Ching
No architectural reference shelf is complete without Francis Ching's Architecture: Form, Space, Order. Ching provides a fundamental introduction to the principles of form, space, and order -- the basic vocabulary for every architect!
The book is an interpretation of form, discussing on the architectural vocabulary of point, line, plane, volume, proportion, scale, circulation, and the interdependence of form and space. Plus, he analyzes architectural models drawn from around the world as he illustrates each concept.
The architectural drawings are personally executed by Ching himself. Of especial interest are Ching's discussions and examples of urban design, industrial parks and multi-use developments, ergonomic design, controversial examples of form, and Beaux-Arts theory and examples.
The book is best read at the time when one starts the course of architecture in any architecture college because it is the time when the foundation of how architecture should be perceived is laid. A student might develop his/her taste for complex architectural theories and all paraphernalia later on during his/her studies and consequent patterns of his/her working will be devised by their own ways of thinking but in the earlier phases of their studies it will be helpful if they are exposed to wider field of visualization and examples that portray the basic underlying architectural principles. This will help them to critically appreciate the architectural issues when they enter the domain of architecture that is so huge and sometimes exhaustive. Whatsoever the case may be, finally they will be fit enough to encounter and study any new case they will have to face. This is one of such books which provides, though exhaustive in its own times, the basic vocabulary of architecture that has to be mastered by every architecture student earlier in his/her studies.
Despite the fact that the demands of the field of architecture is quite varied today and full of technological items but the crux of architecture which lies in the minds of genius is timelessly cherished and it is one such books which is timelessly written and can be studied at all times and ages.
Architecture, Form, Space, Order is the most readable, "user friendly" introduction available today.
Francis DK Ching
No architectural reference shelf is complete without Francis Ching's Architecture: Form, Space, Order. Ching provides a fundamental introduction to the principles of form, space, and order -- the basic vocabulary for every architect!
The book is an interpretation of form, discussing on the architectural vocabulary of point, line, plane, volume, proportion, scale, circulation, and the interdependence of form and space. Plus, he analyzes architectural models drawn from around the world as he illustrates each concept.
The architectural drawings are personally executed by Ching himself. Of especial interest are Ching's discussions and examples of urban design, industrial parks and multi-use developments, ergonomic design, controversial examples of form, and Beaux-Arts theory and examples.
The book is best read at the time when one starts the course of architecture in any architecture college because it is the time when the foundation of how architecture should be perceived is laid. A student might develop his/her taste for complex architectural theories and all paraphernalia later on during his/her studies and consequent patterns of his/her working will be devised by their own ways of thinking but in the earlier phases of their studies it will be helpful if they are exposed to wider field of visualization and examples that portray the basic underlying architectural principles. This will help them to critically appreciate the architectural issues when they enter the domain of architecture that is so huge and sometimes exhaustive. Whatsoever the case may be, finally they will be fit enough to encounter and study any new case they will have to face. This is one of such books which provides, though exhaustive in its own times, the basic vocabulary of architecture that has to be mastered by every architecture student earlier in his/her studies.
Despite the fact that the demands of the field of architecture is quite varied today and full of technological items but the crux of architecture which lies in the minds of genius is timelessly cherished and it is one such books which is timelessly written and can be studied at all times and ages.
Architecture, Form, Space, Order is the most readable, "user friendly" introduction available today.
Newa Cheň (Newar House)
Language: Newari
Surendra Man Shrestha
Price Rs. 40.00
Language may be a barrier for many, but for those intending to know more about the emergence of house form in Kathmandu Valley, Newa cheň might just be the right book to opt for. The daily lifestyle, religion and culture pertaining to the local denizen of Kathmandu valley (Newars) and their house are what it's all about.
The explanations on the technicalities of the building are something to look forward to. Despite being a non-technical person, the author[1] deals with substantial details on the technical aspect with inputs form the maker’s guild (masons, carpenters etc.) of traditional Newar towns and settlements.
Newars believe in ancestral worship of ăjudyo and ajimadyo, which they consider as their ancestors. Newars aspire to attain the divinity, as their ancestors, through the process of merit and consequent enlightenment. This is reflected not only in their cultural rites, customs and festivities, but also in their house building activities. They build their houses as iconographic representation of ăju ajima. Burning fire, sword (khadga) are used in decorative motifs as symbolic emblems of ăju ajima. Similar symbolisms can be found in the details of the various building elements, which makes the book more interesting to read.
Vertical room arrangement is one of the unique planning features found in Newar Houses. The book perfectly portrays the utility and significance of this type of arrangement and the chapters are arranged accordingly - Chidi (Ground floor), Maatan(first floor), Chota (Second Floor), Baiga (third floor)……etc.
The book gives an extensive vocabulary of the technical terms of building and construction. The technologies explained shows how they respond to the environment, social integrity and use of available indigineous building materials. It might be surprising for many, on how people then dealt with engineering techniques such as structural stability, energy efficient designs, cross ventilation etc in details that are interestingly applied in the house.
The structural, symbolic, functional, cultural, religious aspects of different building elements are skillfully probed. The information that has been put into the book is worth translation and interpretation. For people vying to know more about traditional newari architecture, this book is a gem of a collection.
[1] The author writes mostly about culture and traditional rites.
Language: Newari
Surendra Man Shrestha
Price Rs. 40.00
Language may be a barrier for many, but for those intending to know more about the emergence of house form in Kathmandu Valley, Newa cheň might just be the right book to opt for. The daily lifestyle, religion and culture pertaining to the local denizen of Kathmandu valley (Newars) and their house are what it's all about.
The explanations on the technicalities of the building are something to look forward to. Despite being a non-technical person, the author[1] deals with substantial details on the technical aspect with inputs form the maker’s guild (masons, carpenters etc.) of traditional Newar towns and settlements.
Newars believe in ancestral worship of ăjudyo and ajimadyo, which they consider as their ancestors. Newars aspire to attain the divinity, as their ancestors, through the process of merit and consequent enlightenment. This is reflected not only in their cultural rites, customs and festivities, but also in their house building activities. They build their houses as iconographic representation of ăju ajima. Burning fire, sword (khadga) are used in decorative motifs as symbolic emblems of ăju ajima. Similar symbolisms can be found in the details of the various building elements, which makes the book more interesting to read.
Vertical room arrangement is one of the unique planning features found in Newar Houses. The book perfectly portrays the utility and significance of this type of arrangement and the chapters are arranged accordingly - Chidi (Ground floor), Maatan(first floor), Chota (Second Floor), Baiga (third floor)……etc.
The book gives an extensive vocabulary of the technical terms of building and construction. The technologies explained shows how they respond to the environment, social integrity and use of available indigineous building materials. It might be surprising for many, on how people then dealt with engineering techniques such as structural stability, energy efficient designs, cross ventilation etc in details that are interestingly applied in the house.
The structural, symbolic, functional, cultural, religious aspects of different building elements are skillfully probed. The information that has been put into the book is worth translation and interpretation. For people vying to know more about traditional newari architecture, this book is a gem of a collection.
[1] The author writes mostly about culture and traditional rites.
Reviewed by: Padmendra, Gyanendra and Manindra
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