ARCHITECTURAL | Theory | 12 Questions (EASY-MODERATE)

THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE

(12 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY to MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: The "Modulor" is an anthropometric scale of proportions devised by whom?

a. Charles-Edouard Jeanneret
b. Frank Lloyd Wright
c. Leonardo da Vinci
d. Vitruvius

The Modulor is an anthropometric scale, functioning as a visual bridge between imperial and metric measurement systems, of proportions devised by the Swiss-born French architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, also known as Le Corbusier. The Modular was based on the height of a man with his arm raised, a system used extensively by Le Corbusier in several of his buildings.

(Image courtesy of Fondation Le Corbusier/FLC)

Therefore, the correct answer is a. Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (a.k.a. Le Corbusier).

Q#2: Principle of design that is based on repetitive or alternative elements in the same or modified forms.
a. Rhythm
b. Pattern
c. Hierarchy
d. Movement
e. Concatenation

Pattern:
"An artistic or decorative design, esp. one having a characteristic arrangement and considered as a unit of which an idea can be given by a fragment."
(Page 53, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Hierarchy:
"A system of elements ranked, classified, and organized one above another, according to importance or significance."
(Page 54, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Movement:
"The rhythmic quality of a composition suggesting motion by represented gestures or by the relationship of structural elements."
(Page 55, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Concatenation:
"A series of linked or interconnected things or events."
(Page 55, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Rhythm:
"Movement characterized by a patterned repetition or alternation of formal elements or motifs in the same or a modified form."
(Page 55, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Therefore, the correct answer is a. Rhythm.

Q#3: Which of the following color schemes form a triad?
a. Blue-green + Yellow-orange + Red-violet
b. Red-violet + Yellow-orange + Red-orange
c. Yellow + Violet + Red
d. Orange + Red-Orange + Yellow-Orange

A triadic color scheme uses colors that are EVENLY SPACED around the color wheel.

(Image courtesy of Tiger Color)

Therefore, the correct answer is a. Blue-Green + Yellow-Orange + Red-Violet.

Q#4: The comparative, proper, or harmonious relation of one part to another.
a. Symmetry
b. Proportion
c. Uniformity
d. Local Symmetry
e. Balance

Symmetry:
"The exact correspondence in size, form, and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane, or about a center or axis.
Also, regularity of form or arrangement in terms of like, reciprocal, or corresponding parts."
(Page 55, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Local Symmetry:
"A symmetrical condition occurring in one part of a design often serving to center an irregular pattern."
(Page 55, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Uniformity:
"The state or quality of being identical, homogeneous, or regular."
(Page 54, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Proportion:
"The comparative, proper, or harmonious relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree.

"The equality between two ratios in which the first of the four terms divided by the second equals the third divided by the fourth."
(Page 56, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Therefore, the correct answer is b. Proportion.

Q#5: Which among these structures can be best described as "clustered" in form?
a. UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, 1958, by Marcel Breuer
b. Habitat 67 in Montreal, 1967, by Moshe Safdie
c. Tempietto, 1510, by Donato Bramante
d. Monticello, 1808, by Thomas Jefferson

The UNESCO Headquarters' form is a three-pointed star. The Habitat 67 is formed using clustered blocks. Both the Tempietto and the Monticello exhibit strict symmetrical forms, with the former being of the High Renaissance period and the latter being of the Neoclassical/Palladian period.

(Photo Credits: UNESCO Headquarters by Cha già José via Wikipedia, Habitat 67 by Taxiarchos228 via Wikipedia, Tempietto by Space Odissey via Wikipedia, Monticello by Martin Falbisoner via Wikipedia)

Therefore, the correct answer is b. Habitat 67 in Montreal, 1967, by Moshe Safdie.

Q#6: The manner of arranging and coordinating the parts of a composition so as to produce a coherent image.
a. Organization
b. Form
c. Diagram
d. Pattern
e. Repose

Organization:
"The systematic arranging of interdependent or coordinated parts into a coherent unity or functioning whole."
(Page 53, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Form:
"The shape and structure of something as distinguished from its substance or material."
(Page 52, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

"The manner of arranging and coordinating the parts of a composition so as to produce a coherent image."
(Page 53, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Diagram:
"A drawing, not necessarily representational, that outlines, explains, or clarifies the arrangement and relationsof the parts of a whole."
(Page 53, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Pattern:
"An artistic or decorative design esp. one having a characteristic arrangement and considered as a unit, of which an idea can be given by a fragment."
(Page 53, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Repose:
"Harmony in the arrangement of parts or colors that is restful to the eye."
(Page 54, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Therefore, the correct answer is b. Form.

Q#7: The study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior.
a. Semiotics
b. Proxemics
c. Tectonics
d. Symbology
e. Semantics

Proxemics:
The branch of knowledge that deals with the amount of space that people feel it necessary to set between themselves and others.
(https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/proxemics)

"The study of the symbolic and communicative role of the spatial separation individuals maintain in various social and interpersonal situations, and how the nature and degree of this spatial arrangement relates to environmental and cultural factors."
(Page 57, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Tectonics:
"The science or art of shaping, ornamenting, or assembling materials in construction."
(Page 11, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Symbology:
The study or use of symbols.
(https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/symbology)

Semantics:
The branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning.
(https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/semantics)

Semiotics:
The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.
(https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/semiotics)

Therefore, the correct answer is a. Semiotics.

Q#8: The dimension of color which is correlated with luminance and by which visual stimuli are ordered continuously from very dim to very bright.
a. Chroma
b. Lightness
c. Brightness
d. Value
e. Saturation or Intensity

Chroma:
"The degree by which a color differs from a gray of the same lightness or brightness, corresponding to saturation of the perceived color."

Lightness:
"The dimension of color by which an object appears to reflect more or less of the incident light, varying from black to white for surface colors and from black to colorless for transparent volume colors."

Brightness:
"The dimension of color which is correlated with luminance and by which visual stimuli are ordered continuously from very dim to very bright. Pure white has the maximum brightness, and pure black has the minimum brightness."

Value:
"The degree by which a color appears to reflect more or less of the incident light, corresponding to lightness of the perceived color."

Saturation:
"One of the three dimensions of color, the purity or vividness of a hue. Also called intensity."

(Page 38, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

(Image Credit to David Briggs via huevaluechroma.com)

Therefore, the correct answer is c. Brightness.

Q#9: A private or side entrance, as one for pedestrians next to a porte-cochere.
a. Veranda
b. Postern
c. Terrace
d. Porch

Veranda:
"A large, open porch, usually roofed and partly enclosed, as by a railing, often extending across the front and sides of a house. Also, verandah."

Terrace:
"An open, often paved area connected to a house or building and serving as an outdoor living area."

Porch:
"An exterior appendage to a building, forming a covered approach or vestibule to a doorway."

Postern:
"A private or side entrance, as one for pedestrians next to a porte-cochere."

(Page 25, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Therefore, the correct answer is b. Postern.

Q#10: "Less is a bore" is a maxim coined by which Architect?
a. Michael Graves
b. Robert Venturi
c. Mies van der Rohe
d. Santiago Calatrava

"Less is a bore" is a postmodern response challenging Mies van der Rohe's famous modernist dictum "Less is more" (pertaining to simplicity in design which Venturi was against).

(Image courtesy of The Architects Newspaper, originally from Rollin LaFrance/VSBA)

Therefore, the correct answer is b. Robert Venturi.

Q#11: Kind of architecture that reflects a combination of styles from various historical periods.
a. Organic architecture
b. Gingerbread architecture
c. International style
d. Eclectic architecture
e. Abstract expressionism

Organic architecture:
"A philosophy of architectural design that emerged in the early 20th century, asserting that a building should have a structure and plan that fulfill its functional requirements, harmonize with its natural environment, and form an intellectually lucid, integrated whole. The shapes or forms in such a work are often or irregular contour and seem to resemble or suggest forms found in nature."
(Page 135, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Gingerbread:
"Heavily, gaudily, and superfluously ornamented, esp. in architecture."
(Page 134, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

International Style:
"A functional architecture devoid of regional characteristics, developed in the 1920's and 1930's in Western Europe and the U.S. and applied throughout the world: characterized by simple geometric forms, large untextured, often white surfaces, larges areas of glass, and general use of steel or reinforced concrete construction."
(Page 135, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Abstract expressionism:
"A movement in experimental, nonrepresentational painting originating in the U.S. in the 1940's, embracing many individual styles marked in common by freedom of technique, a preference for dramatically large canvases, and a desire to give spontaneous expression to the unconscious."
(Page 135, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Eclectic:
"Of or pertaining to works of architecture and the decorative arts that derive from a wide range of historic styles, the style in each instance being chosen for its deemed appropriateness to local tradition, geography, or culture."
(Page 134, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Eclecticism:
"A tendency in architecture and the decorative arts to freely mix various historical styles with the aim of combining the virtues of diverse sources, or of increasing allusive content, particularly during the second half of the 19th century in Europe and the U.S."
(Page 134, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching)

Therefore, the correct answer is d. Eclectic architecture.

Q#12: Whose dictum is this: “Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light. Our eyes are made to see forms in light; light and shade reveal these forms; cubes, cones, spheres, cylinders or pyramids are the great primary forms which light reveals to advantage; the image of these is distinct and tangible within us without ambiguity. It is for this reason that these are beautiful forms, the most beautiful forms.”
a. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
b. Le Corbusier
c. Tadao Ando
d. Frank Lloyd Wright
e. Walter Gropius

The above dictum is found in the book Vers une architecture (Towards an Architecture) in 1923, wherein another famous maxim, Une maison est une machine-à-habiter (A house is a machine for living in), is found. This book is authored by Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, or more famously known as Le Corbusier.

(Image credit to Ecem Olgun via wordpress.com)

Therefore, the correct answer is b. Le Corbusier.