Spatial Composition - part 1

Acknowledgment -

Almost thirty years ago, I attended a series of lectures at the University of Oregon with Professor Earl Moursund. His ideas and theories have stuck with me and I ponder them often. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the big idea of Architecture. I also must give credits to my office mate, Charlton Jones and to Professor Gary Moye for their insights.


Introduction -

People both conceive and perceive space. If a person is located on a flat plane that extends endlessly, they have no reference in order to "place themselves in space". It takes elements situated in relationship to each other using principles of spatial composition that creates meaning to our environmental experience.


The "Point Reference" -

Adding a column (point reference) provides the viewer with a specific point on the plane that a person can judge distance from. As in... I am "X distance from that point". The height of the point reference also indicates it's importance. If the column is some quantity less than the height of a person it is less than a reference. If it is very tall , it will provide for a guidepost for an entire city.

The Campanile in the

Piazza San Marco in Venice
is an example of a point reference for the city.