Review of Architecture: Form, Space, and Order

Welcome to our latest book review.  Today, architecture is the theme, with Francis D. K. Ching’s book  ”Architecture: Form, Space, and Order”. The review was kindly provided by Stephen Miles Architects (SMA) of Glasgow. Further information and analysis can be gained from them by finding them online via the keyword Glasgow architect.

Review:

This book in its entirety is essentially a picture dictionary of the world of architecture. Packed with the quality line drawings of the best quality,  it teaches greatly in a very precise and straight-forward manner. The main focus is on world architecture, which means the scope is vast with nothing being unduly left aside. The authors classic introduction to the basic elements of what architecture is,  has humbly served as a invaluable reference point for both students and fully fledged architects for the past 40 years. Ching has illustrated the book thoroughly throughout with the use of black and white diagrams and renderings.  The third edition now includes more in-depth expanded sections on topics such as:

  • circulation
  • light
  • views
  • site context
  • environmental factors and building codes

This book is everything you would expect from a world renowned and celebrated architect. Each page has been thoroughly revised to incorporate principle examples of form, space, and order. It can and should be considered as the fundamental vocabulary for every architect designer. It is a simple yet beautifully illustrated volume that touches on the present day form thinking and looks at, in detail, the conventional models with a fresh, reassuring perspective. Whilst the revision continues to be a comprehensive template on the ways form and space are inter-related and organised with regard the shaping of environments, it has been refined to clarify meaningful innovative concepts, such as:

  • New hand rendered drawings
  • Openings and scale
  • New design principles

The book can be considered a unqiue visual reference which can and will help both students and fully fledged architects understand the basic vocabulary of architectural design. Using his trademark drawing techniques, Professor Ching has illustrated and fully described the relationships between the fundamental elements of architecture through the ages and across cultural boundaries found in modern times.

Like discussing Linear lines? If so, this video might be of interest:

By looking at these seminal ideas, the volume encourages architects to look, in a critical yet investigative way,  at the built environment and this further promotes a more evocative understanding of modern day architecture. In addition to revision updates to content and many of the illustrations, this latest edition also includes a CD–ROM containing 3D models and animations that bring Professor Chings concepts to life.

Summary

This rich source of architectural prototypes serves as a guide to architectural drawing. It truly is a work of art. Architects and students alike will treasure this book for both its wealth of practical information and its precise illustrations.Professor Ching has once again created a wonderful visual reference that illuminates the world of architectural form.