Identifying The New Styles of Building Exteriors in West Amman
159
IDENTIFYING THE NEW STYLES OF BUILDINGS' EXTERIORS IN WEST AMMAN Prepared by: Dalia Khalil Khorsheed August 2007
Transcript of Identifying The New Styles of Building Exteriors in West Amman
IDENTIFYING THE NEW STYLES OF
BUILDINGS' EXTERIORS
IN WEST AMMAN
Prepared by:
Dalia Khalil Khorsheed
August 2007
IDENTIFYING THE NEW STYLES OF
BUILDINGS' EXTERIORS
IN WEST AMMAN
by
Dalia Khalil Khorsheed
Advisor Name: Dr. Leila Al-Bustami
Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of M.Sc. in Architecture
At
The Faculty of Graduate Studies
Jordan University of Science and Technology
August, 2007
IDENTIFYING THE NEW STYLES OF BUILDINGS'
EXTERIORS
IN WEST AMMAN
by
Dalia Khalil Khorsheed
Signature of Author
Committee Member Signature and Date
Dr. Leila Al-Bustami (Chairman)
Dr. Buthayna Eilouti (Member)
Dr. Salim Al-Faqih (External Examiner)
August, 2007
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DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to my family: Their love supported me allover my life.
I thank my mother, whose prayers symbolised for me a faith inGod that sustained me when nothing else could.
Also I dedicate it to my friends. And last but not least, my nieceand nephew; Yasmin and Yosef, who always draw a smile on my face.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank my supervisor: Dr. Leila. She guided me towards thefulfilment of a dream. Also, I thank Dr. Salim and Dr. Buthayna for theiradvice and constructive criticism.
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LIST OF CONTENTS
Title Page
DEDICATION i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii
LIST OF CONTENTS iii
LIST OF TABLES viii
LIST OF FIGURES x
LIST OF APPENDICES xii
ABSTRACT xiii
Chapter One: Introduction 1
1.1 Preface 2
1.2 Research Paradigm: Post-positivism 4
1.3 The Broad Research Topic: Styles 6
1.4 The Intellectual Puzzle of the Research 6
1.5 Research Objective 7
1.6 Research Goals 7
1.7 The Research Questions 7
1.8 The Research Hypothesis 8
1.9 The Research Assumptions 8
1.10 The Research Significance 9
1.11 The Research Overview 9
1.12 Figures 11
Chapter Two: Style 15
2.1 Style Definition 16
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2.2 Style as a Concept 16
2.3 Style in Art 17
2.3.1 The Functions of Style 17
2.3.2 The Classification of Style 18
2.3.3 The Kinds of Style 18
2.4 Style in Architecture 20
2.4.1 Historical Background 20
2.4.2 Meaning 21
2.4.3 Style System as Reference 21
2.4.4 New Styles 22
2.4.5 Discerning Styles 23
2.4.6 Responding to Styles 23
2.5 Broudy's Four Domains: An Aesthetics Model 24
2.5.1 Understanding the Model 24
2.5.2 How Broudy's Model Works 27
2.6 Summary 28
2.7 Figures 29
Chapter 3: Literature Review 34
3.1 Style Grouping/ Classifying 35
3.1.1 The Concept of Cognitive Structure 35
3.1.2 The Concept of Visual Equivalence 36
3.2 Describing Stylistic Qualities or Over-All Feelings 37
3.2.1 Broudy's Four Domains of Artistic Design 38
3.2.2 Formal Design/ Composition Variables 39
3.2.3 Stylistic Qualities through Visual Communication 44
3.3 Perceiving Stylistic Qualities or Over-All Feelings 45
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3.3.1 Brunswik's Lens Model 45
3.3.2 Subjective Impressions, Descriptions, Judgements and
Responses 47
3.4 Summary 51
3.5 Figures 52
Chapter 4: Research Strategy, Design and Methods 54
4.1 Answering Question One about Style Classification 57
4.1.1 Sample 58
4.1.2 Participants 59
4.1.3 Procedure: the Multiple Sorting Task 59
4.2 Answering Question Two on the Common Qualities or the
Over-all feelings of the members of Each Group 62
4.2.1 Part One: Identifying Stylistic Qualities 63
4.2.1.1 Sample 63
4.2.1.2 Participants 63
4.2.1.3 Procedure 64
4.2.2 Part Two: Checking, Rating and Connecting Stylistic Qualities 64
4.2.2.1 Sample 64
4.2.2.2 Participants 64
4.2.2.3 Interview Format 65
4.2.2.4 Procedure 66
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4.3 Answering Question Three about the Design Elements
That Caused the Indicated Stylistic Qualities 71
4.3.1 Sample 71
4.3.2 Respondents 71
4.3.3 Procedure 71
4.4 Answering Question Four about the Probable Factors or Laws
by Which the Stylish Buildings' Exteriors Can Be Predicted
or Controlled 72
4.4.1 Sample 72
4.4.2 Participants 72
4.4.3 Procedure 73
4.5 Summary 74
Chapter Five: Analysis and Results 75
5.1 Exterior Style Groups 76
5.2 Qualities of Style Groups 82
5.3 Measuring Qualities and Connecting Them with Design Elements 86
5.4 Descriptions of Style Groups According to Broudy's Elements:
(Sensory, Formal, Technical and Expressive 94
5.5 Summary 98
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Chapter Six: Interpretation and Concluding Remarks 100
6.1 Interpretation or Generating Meaning 101
6.2 Confirming Findings 108
6.3 Trustworthiness 110
6.4 Research Limitations 111
6.5 Directions for Future Studies 112
6.6 Summary 113
References 115
Appendices 120
Arabic Abstract 143
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LIST OF TABLES
Title Page
Table 4.1: Selected New Office Buildings' of which Exteriors have been studied 60
Table 4.2: Broudy's (1972) Four Domains and their Items 72
Table 5.1: Influence of Qualities and their Connectedness to Design
Elements for (Style Group A) 91
Table 5.2: Influence of Qualities and their Connectedness to Design
Elements for (Style Group B) 92
Table 5.3: Influence of Qualities and their Connectedness to Design
Elements for (Style Group C) 93
Table 5.4: Influence of Stylistic Qualities Groups A, B and C 87
Table 5.5: Shared Descriptions of Design Elements for
Style Group A according to Broudy's Model 95
Table 5.6: Shared Descriptions of Design Elements for
Style Group B according to Broudy's Model 96
Table 5.7: Shared Descriptions of Design Elements for
Style Group C according to Broudy's Model 97
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Table 5.8: Common Qualities for Style Groups A, B and C 98
Table 6.1: Grouping of Qualities on the Dimension of their Influence 103
Table 6.2: Stylistic Qualities & their Degree of Connectedness tothe Four Kinds of Design Elements 104
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LIST OF FIGURES
Title Page
Figure 1.1: the map of the city of Amman s districts 11
Figure 1.2: West Amman s districts as highlighted by the researcher 12
Figure 1.3: Two Examples of the Old/Traditional office buildingsin West Amman 13
Figure 1.4: Two Examples of the New Office Buildings in Amman 14
Figure 2.1: Wax Tablet and Stilus which was invented and used bythe Romans as a Writing Instrument 29
Figure 2.2: An Example of the Style of Objective Accuracy 30
Figure 2.3: An Example of the Style of Formal Order 31
Figure 2.4: An Example of the Style of Emotion 32
Figure 2.5: An Example of the Style of Fantasy 33
Figure 3.1: An example of the style of formal order in architecture:the intellectual style (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe - S.R. CrownHall - Chicago, Illinois) 52
Figure 3.2: An example of the biomorphic style in architecture: Austrian architectFriedensreich Hundertwasser 53
Figure 3.3: Brunswick's Lens Model applied to the perception of 46Office Buildings' Exteriors Styles
Figure 3.4: The sequence of the cognitive processes according to 49Brunswick's Lens Model
Figure 4.1: The geographical location of the selected office
buildings - surveyed streets colored in magenta 61
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Figure 4.2: Interview Format for Style Group A 68
Figure 4.3: Interview Format for Style Group B 69
Figure 4.4: Interview Format for Style Group C 70
Figure 5.1: The Volume of the Found Style Groups 76
Figures 5.2: The exteriors of Style Group A 77
Figures 5.3: The exteriors of Style Group B 78
Figures 5.4: The exteriors of Style Group C 79
Figure 5.5: The exteriors of Style Group D 80
Figure 5.6: The exteriors of Style Group E 80
Figure 5.7: The exteriors of Style Group F 81
Figure 5.8: Exteriors that do not fall in any style group 82
Figure 5.9: Formulated Qualities of Style Group A 83
Figure 5.10: Formulated Qualities of Style Group B 84
Figure 5.11: Formulated Qualities of Style Group C 85
Figure 5.12: Connectedness or Relationships between Stylistic Qualities and the Design Elements for Style Group A 88
Figure 5.13: Connectedness or Relationships between StylisticQualities and the Design Elements for Style Group B 89
Figure 5.14: Connectedness or Relationships between StylisticQualities and the Design Elements for Style Group C 90
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Title Page
Appendix 'A': Broudy's Elements: Theory into Practice 120
Appendix 'B: The buildings' exteriors included in this research 128
Appendix 'C': Exteriors Elements and their Descriptions 131
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A B S T R A C T
Identifying the New Styles of Buildings' Exteriors in West Amman
By: Dalia Khalil Khorsheed
Chairman: Dr. Leila Al-Bustami
This study aims at identifying the new styles of the office buildings' exteriorsbuilt after year 2000 in West Amman. The researcher used a multiple of quantitativeand qualitative methods to answer 4 questions about determining examples of thosestyles, their common qualities and design elements, as well as the probable laws bywhich they could be predicted and controlled.
The researcher used the concept of sameness and differences (Kelly, 1955)and the concept of visual equivalence (Olver and Hornsby, 1966) and asked a focusgroup of 6 young Jordanian architects to classify 30 exteriors of a representativesample into style groups. Then she asked them to formulate shared qualities of eachgroup.
After that, 30 Jordanian designers answered a standardized questionnaire inwhich they rated those qualities on a 7-point scale and linked them to the relevantdesign elements of Broudy's Model (1972); the sensory, the formal, the technical orthe expressive.
Finally, the shared design elements for each style group were described,reduced and displayed in summary indices following Miles and Huberman's (1994)view for dealing with cross-case studies.
The most probable laws for creating further manifestations of the single stylegroup were concluded to be those that evolved from connecting the mostdistinguishing qualities with the most influential common design elements.
Data that yielded those probable laws were theorized following concepts fromBrunswick's (1956) Probabilistic Perception Theory. Accordingly, the perceivedstyles are the judgements created by proximal cues are the design qualities, and thedistal cues are the design elements that generate those qualities.
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Chapter One: Introduction
1.13 Preface
1.14 Research Paradigm: Post-positivism
1.15 The Broad Research Topic: Styles
1.16 The Intellectual Puzzle of the Research
1.17 Research Objective
1.18 Research Goals
1.19 The Research Questions
1.20 The Research Hypothesis
1.21 The Research Assumptions
1.22 The Research Significance
1.23 The Research Overview
1.24 Figures
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1.1 Preface
During the last decade, Jordan witnessed a major socio-economic change in its
communities and institutions at almost every level of its existence in response to the
notion of globalization and World market. Suddenly, Jordanians have acquired new
life styles and new subjective experiences of different targets and values.
This change is mostly felt in Amman, the capital city of Jordan, particularly in
its West part where most of investment projects are located and most of the upper
social classes reside. In this part of the city one can notice that not only people's social
world has changed, but their physical environments and daily settings too.
Consequently, new building types and designs are evolving and gradually replacing
the traditional ones in an obvious way. Now, the West Ammanis are experiencing a
new architecture of new aesthetics and tasks. And the small cubical residential
buildings of masonry walls are becoming less as many people have moved to the
suburbs away from the city center, while the commercial/business buildings are taking
over and steadily dominating the urban scene with their massive volumes and new
appearance.
Scholars and intellectuals understand this change as an inevitable result of the
nation's rapid transformation toward modernity which is seen constantly in conflict
with tradition " struggling for change to reach the status/meaning of excellence"
(Heynen, 1999, p.9). This is to say that the feeling of urgency to modernization has
encouraged Jordanians not only to borrow innovations and technological inventions
from the developed countries, but to erect new building types with new designs too to
fit the new public demands. Altering the intellectual environment by such
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interventions is seen as a definite consequence of the social change process (Saegert,
1987) taking place nowadays in Jordan. And from what is visible, it seems that
people, whether users or designers, have changed their old beliefs about what kind of
environment is best for them (cf. Lang, 1987). Those new beliefs, however, are not
limited to buildings' types and spaces only, but apply to buildings' exterior as well.
People now prefer to look at curtain wall facades of large glass panels and shiny metal
surfaces rather than at load bearing walls and small openings. This is because they
want to exploit new technology and materials, and to build their settings in a new way
that would truly express the spirit of their era. There is also the role played by the
notions associated generally with change. On that role, Conklin (1984, p.451) says:
change is equated with progress; the new is seen as better than theold. People do not want to be out of date, which is the same as out offashion".
For the lay person, the phenomenon of fashionable or stylish buildings'
exteriors in Amman is comprehended in terms of its aesthetic and evaluative values.
But for the critical community, it is much more than that. Individuals of that circle
that includes intellectual architects and designers are interested in revealing the
hidden meanings of those exteriors through knowing their common qualities or over-
all feelings which are hard to describe but possible to connect with the visual elements
of the design. Intellectuals want to identify the probable principles and laws for
generating such qualities or overall feelings.
This work will attempt to accomplish that end. Stylish buildings' exteriors will
be studied in depth to identify their shared qualities as well as the probable causes
behind those qualities.
This work will limit itself to the new architecture of the office building type as
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it clearly exemplifies the new styles, and to the West part of the city where most of
that architecture exists.
As for the critical community whose opinions will be studied, young Jordanian
architects from the private sector who represent the new intellectual educated
generation, will be considered.
Figures 1.1 and 1.2 illustrate the map of Amman and the geographical location
of West Amman where the researched exteriors are located. Figures 1.3 and 1.4
illustrate few examples of the traditional and the new office buildings in Amman for
the purpose of comparing and recognizing the difference. See all of these Figures at
the end of this chapter.
1.2 Research Paradigm: Post-positivism
This research aims to explain the basis on which several seemingly different
buildings' exteriors are perceived equivalent and belonging to one style group. The
inquirer is seen as an expert who wishes to arrive at a probable deterministic set of
reduced facts that enable prediction and future control of the phenomenon. Therefore,
the representative Worldview of the researcher which defines the nature of the
individual's world, his or her place in it as well as how he or she relates to it or to its
parts is the post-positivism (Denzin and Lincoln, 2003).
The basic beliefs that define the post-positivism paradigm constitute the
researcher's ontology, epistemology and methodology. Those beliefs " which are
basic in the sense that they must be accepted simply on faith" (Guba and Lincoln,
1995, p.107) are:
a) A critical reality or an ontological assumption which views reality to exist
in an imperfectly understandable way because of the nature of the human intellectual
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mechanisms and the difficulty in dealing with the phenomenon of environmental
styles (Cook and Campbell, 1979). Here, the adopted ontological position or what is
most fundamental in the social world of the researcher is the appearance of things.
She thinks that the visible part of all manmade objects, including buildings, makes the
base on which members of the same society interact and relate to each other.
Elements of this reality include buildings' exteriors styles which are the focus of this
study.
b) A modified dualist/objectivist relationship between the investigator and the
investigated object, which places special emphasis on critical conditions to see if
findings fit with pre-existing knowledge, and on critical community such as
professional peers and referees. The gained knowledge, therefore, is expected to be
probably true, but subject to falsification.
The epistemology in this research is expected to provide a kind of knowledge
on the basis of which different buildings' exteriors are interpreted as belonging to one
family or style. This knowledge is assumed to be objective but approximate and the
findings will be regarded probable facts or laws.
c) A modified experimental/manipulative methodology that emphasizes
critical multiplism so as to falsify hypotheses rather than verifying them. In this study,
the researcher has chosen the collective instrumental case study as her methodology.
She believes that this methodology is the only way to study instances of the concerned
phenomenon and to generate the necessary knowledge about it.
1.3 The Broad Research Topic: Styles
This research is concerned with the topic of styles. Based on the subject of
how things look which is the declared ontological position of the researcher, visual
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styles are comprehended important elements of the social reality through which
people interact, satisfy their need, and build up whole lives for themselves.
On the importance of buildings' visual styles, Conway and Roenisch (1994)
refer to their importance as a tool used by architectural historians for the purpose of
identification. Shirvani (1985) stresses the role played by buildings' exteriors in
making the domain of urban design. Also Nasar (1994) draws the attention towards
the vital effect of buildings appearances in experiencing one's surroundings.
In this study, the concern is seeking what unites members of the same style
group of the new office building' exteriors in West Amman. To discover what might
cause that unitary effect by which those exteriors are identified and according to
which they are judged and interpreted.
1.4 The Intellectual Puzzle of the Research
The researcher wishes to explore the basis on which several office buildings'
exteriors are seen and identified as one style. She aims at discerning the qualities and
the elements that unite those visual stimuli. Intellectually, the researcher is concerned
with discovering what might be considered as a law for predicting and creating styles
in the future. This kind of intellectual research puzzle is known as the causal or
predictive (Mason, 2002, p.18).
But before starting to solve this puzzle, few new style groups should be
underlined so as to be taken as examples to run the study.
1.5 Research Objective
The objective of this research is to identify some of the new office building
exteriors styles in the last few years in West Amman. Identification is expected to
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involve new construction materials, new compositions and new qualities in the
studied exteriors.
1.6 Research Goals
With identifying stylistic qualities, compositions and materials, designers
would understand what might work as guidelines for producing different
manifestations of the same exterior style, and what would lead to the differentiation of
styles for the same building type.
So this research s goals are to set a base for façade design guidelines for office
buildings and use as a base for other building types facades.
1.7 The Research Questions
Thinking about solving the intellectual puzzle of this research and explaining
the causes behind creating the stylistic qualities of the new office buildings' exteriors
made the researcher formulate the next questions which will form the backbone of her
research design:
Question (1): What are the new office building exterior styles in West Amman? Can
we identify some of them for the purpose of investigation and study?
Question (2): What are the common qualities or the overall feelings between the
members of each identified style group?
Question (3): What causes those qualities or overall feelings? What are the design
elements that contribute to those qualities or feelings?
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Question (4): What are the most probable laws or facts by which the stylish office
buildings' exteriors can be predicted and controlled?
1.8 The Research Hypothesis
Critical reality is the basic hypothesis of this study. The researcher believes
that how things appear in the real world is not perfectly understandable due to the
human intellectual nature and the difficulty in dealing with the environmental
phenomenon of exterior style.
What is known about buildings' exterior styles is little and not satisfactorily
comprehensive. Most people understand buildings' style in terms of formal aesthetics
and preference. But professional peers and referees from the architectural domain
have different views that are more critical and worthwhile. Those views can provide
probable facts and laws for predicting and controlling buildings' exterior styles in
their contexts and historical periods. They depend on Broudy's (1972) Model to
understand how design elements give these laws to buildings' exteriors.
1.9 The Research Assumptions
The basic assumption of this research is that a building's exterior can be dealt
with as a work of art. Therefore, its elements are the same of what constitutes a
painting or a sculpture; it can be reproduced according to similar ways and rules; and
it can be critically judged on the same basis and interpreted with the same connections
to its context.
1.10 The Research Significance
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In a study conducted by Linda Groat in 1988, it was found that façade design
is the physical feature that seemed to contribute most significantly to the perception of
compatibility among a number of buildings of the same task.
Pearlman (1988) found out that buildings' exteriors are the first perceived
element in an urban setting, and that controlling this element can be done through
embodying certain codes and other socio-economical consideration within its design.
Krampen and his colleagues (1979) studied buildings' facades and concluded
that newness of facades can greatly influence the judged attractiveness of buildings.
Studying buildings exterior styles can give contributions on different levels:
On the Research Level: Expected results will be helpful in conducting further
studies on the explored styles such as how they are perceived, appraised, or responded
to.
On the Practical Level: Expected results will be helpful for design firms
through the cognition of the elements that strongly perceived and recognized. And it
would help designers to set the qualities they are seeking in their work in advance and
concentrate on elements strengthening them.
On the Academic Level: The research will be of great value to the theoretical
understanding of academic literacy practices and can possibly contribute to further
elaboration of a more pluralistic and culturally sensitive perspective.
1.11 The Research Overview
This study falls into six chapters as follows:
Chapter One: introduces the problem, establishes the suggested paradigm
along with its ontological, epistemological, and methodological basic beliefs, and
identifies buildings' exteriors styles as the study broad topic. The chapter also
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underlines the intellectual puzzle of the study, the research questions; hypothesis and
assumptions; and its importance at the different levels. The chapter ends with a brief
description of its chapters' contents.
Chapter Two: introduces "style" definition and concept in the visual arts in
general and in architecture in particular. The chapter provides rich information from
the literature on the essence, kinds, and functions of style with special emphasis on
stylistic qualities according to which styles are identified and responded to.
Chapter Three: is the chapter of literature review which intends to guide the
researcher in theorizing the data to be collected so as to answer the basic question of
this study about identifying the new office buildings' exterior styles in West Amman.
Chapter Four: discusses the research strategies and designs for collecting
information that would be useful in answering the research questions. It also
elaborates on the methods for collecting and analyzing data.
Chapter Five: presents data analysis and results including the processes of
reducing and displaying data for the purpose of ordering and explaining.
Chapter Six: is about drawn conclusions and verification of the arrived results.
1.12 Figures
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Figure 1.1: The map of the city of Amman s districts (Source:www.ammancity.gov.jo)
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Figure 1.2: West Amman s districts as highlighted by the researcher (Source:www.ammancity.gov.jo)
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Figure 1.3: Two Examples of the Old/Traditional office buildings in West Amman(Photo 1 source: : / - , photo 2 source: theresearcher)
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Figure 1.4: Two Examples of the New Office Buildings in West Amman (Photosource: the researcher)
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Chapter Two: Style
2.1 Style Definition
2.2 Style as a concept
2.3 Style in Art
2.3.1 The Functions of Style
2.3.2 The Classification of Style
2.3.3 The Kinds of Style
2.4 Style in Architecture
2.4.1 Historical Background
2.4.2 Meaning
2.4.3 System as reference
2.4.4 New Styles
2.4.5 Discerning Styles
2.4.6 Responding to Styles
2.5 Broudy's Four Domains: An Aesthetics Model
2.5.1 Understanding the Model
2.5.2 How the Model Works
2.6 Summary
2.7 Figures
2.1 "Style" Definition
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According to Oxford Dictionary (13th Impression, 1984, p.860), style is "
the manner of writing or speaking (contrasted with the subject matter); the manner of
acting or doing anything esp[ecially] when it is characteristic of an artist or a period
of art".
Style as a term is derived from the Latin Stilus, the name for a writing
instrument invented by the Romans who were used to turn it as they wanted to
improve their texts or style when writing on wax tablets. By time, the name of this
instrument became a term of literary criticism, and then it was applied to sketching
and painting as shown in Figure 2.1. At a later stage, the term "style" was associated
with the notion of a period, place, and even persons. At that beginning which dated
until the first century B.C., architecture was not included, and stylistic analysis was
not known (Loerke, 1990). Style" may also refer to the quality that marks out
something done or made superior, fashionable, or distinctive in its appearance. For
instance, a car, a behavior, a dress, or even a way of living may be described stylish if
they do not look or feel commonplace. There is also style of cognition as a non
traditional dimension of personality to which people are accordingly classified
objective, subjective, holistic, or analytic to environmental issues (Cotgrove, 1982).
2.2 Style as a Concept
" We might construe the Concept of Style as signature" (Harrison, 1992,
p.404). Therefore, we cannot think of style merely as a way of doing something done.
Instead, every effort should be done to capture the complexity of its relevant issues
and to identify its stylistic qualities which invite our attention and thinking.
The concept of style is used in all the visual arts such a painting, sculpture,
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and architecture. Individuals who use it are not only art historians or architects, but
archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and philosophers as well (Conway and
Roenisch, 1994).
2.3 Style in Art
2.3.1 The Functions of Style
In art, the word style can refer to a number of things. It can point to the work
of a particular historical period; to the art of a nation or a region; to a certain technical
approach, a high level of accomplishment, or to the latest fad or fashion in the
appearance of things (Feldman, 1979)
Stylistic works draw attention to their distinguished features as well as to their
qualities and make the viewer understand them as they are understood by their
makers. In Harrison's (1992, p.406) words:
this form of understanding must involve a grasp of the complexityof the different levels in a work (the formal structure of the work, itspatterns of narrative, of themes, of dramatic developments andinteractions, together with the texture of a performer's patterns ofexpressive stress and emphasis) and at the same time integrate theminto a whole for our attention".
In attending to stylistic works, the viewer is not only drawn to their manner of
doing or to their complex qualities, but perhaps more importantly to the kind of
knowledge they provide him or her with. For this reason, Loerke (1990) labels styles
as short cuts to knowledge though it is most often of the illusionary type not the
supplementary. Nevertheless, it can be said that all styles can convey important
information about the culture and society in which the work is rooted (Feldman,
1979). Thus, studying styles can be beneficial as it helps us understand the ideology
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of a certain nation during a certain period of time and gain some idea about how to
connect the way of performance with both its visible results and our reactions to it.
Moreover, styles are often used purposefully to enable researchers and scholars to
classify a variety of seemingly unrelated works into categories that are easier to study,
talk about, and understand (Feldman, 1979).
2.3.2 The Classification of Style
Works of art that are classified as one family or style resemble each other and
have some common traits which unite several works of art and are directly visible in a
particular use of colors, shapes, textures, or lines; or they may be detected in a
qualitative relationship among these works. Besides those common qualities and
formal organizations, what determines a style can include personality factors such as
the artist's characteristic way of feeling and seeing. Also, stylistic integrity by which
the direction of the viewer's attention is directed to the salient features of the work so
we can understand it as it is understood by its performer, is required to achieve a style
(Harrison, 1992)
2.3.3 The Kinds of Style
In art, Feldman (1979) recognizes four kinds of style:
a) The style of objective accuracy or the imitation of visual phenomenon. For
instance, a painting or a sculpture can be produced to reflect accurately what is very
familiar to people in the real world.
In some social circles this style is known as "realism" or "naturalism". In
others, it is called photographic realism. What is required to produce successful works
of this style is good eyesight, the editing of nature, and a considerable judgment and
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skill in execution.
b) The style of formal order which creatively expresses the performer's way
for achieving balance and stability through establishing order that can be generated by
using abstract geometry, biomorphic forms, or some kind of aesthetic devices.
In this style, the notion of order which was originally sought by the Greeks through
measure and ratio is coupled with search for intellectual impersonal beauty that was
based on the human figure.
Sub kinds of the style of formal order are the intellectual, the biomorphic, and
the sensuous. In each, order dominates the visual stimulus which is seen balanced and
stable.
c) The style of emotions which stresses the expression of feelings such as
excitement, anxiety, fear, and pity through the creative employment of unusual
proportions, colors, scenes, and situations. Through this style, the artist speaks the
language of feelings as they are his main concern despite the fact that those feelings
belong to the viewer, and most probably not to him.
d) The style of fantasy which relies on invented forms that were never seen or
emarginated before. The artist whose works reflect this style uses himself as an
instrument to imagine shapes and compositions that are wonderful away from all what
is real or practical.
Figures 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 at the end of this chapter illustrate examples of
those style kinds in the visual arts.
2.4 Style in Architecture
2.4.1 Historical Background
In architecture, which is well-known as the mother of arts, discussing styles is
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relatively new. According to Loerke (1990), it is a phenomenon of only the past 200
years. Before that, style as a term and concept was limited to English literary
criticism. First it meant the personal characteristics of writers, then it was used to
describe a way of living, and finally the works of art including architecture. Classical
architects did not know styles since ancient architecture was geometrical, impersonal,
and the product of pure intelligence.
Even in the writings, classical designers who were in fact problem solvers or
engineers did not talk about their own styles or personal identities. But the next
generation after Vetruvius and Alberti talked about rules and orders as instructional
advice for designing classic facades. Thus the audience was introduced to the art of
judging and creating which for the first time laid the groundwork for the entering style
into the architectural discourse (Loerke, 1990).
Discussing styles in speeches and writing by art critics and academic was best
known in Germany. As referred to in Heinrich Hubsch s book: In What Style Should
We Build? written in 1828 (Mallgrave, 1992), there were strong arguments and
counter arguments about what to do to solve the problem of the unsatisfactory state of
radical ideas. According to what was reported, the materialistic or the ancient
approach was opposed by an idealistic view which stressed the distinction between
the artistic treatment of material and the artistic representation of ideas in the final
work of art. What was found and agreed upon as a result of this long debate is that
material, construction techniques, climate and present needs were the basic
determinants of style (Herrman, 1992).
A Series of style that followed one another chronologically has been often
used in writing books on the history of architecture. Styles also take their names from
the visual features of buildings from historical periods, like the Gothic or Classical, or
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from a geographical area, like Indian or Egyptian style. Moreover, some styles took
their name before they existed like the modernism or after like art deco (Conway and
Roenisch, 1994). According to Feldman (1979), the style of a building exterior order
expresses the designer's preference for balance and stability in creating visual works
2.4.2 Meaning
Styles may not be discussed only in formal terms but in terms of content or
meaning as well. The spirit and philosophy of the age can be expressed in a way or
another. For instance, a new style appropriate for the modern times would use the new
technology and the new constructional systems and building materials to express a
new way of life. Conway and Roenisch (1994, p.159) describe a modern architectural
style as having:
Crisp geometric forms, clean light surfaces, airy unclutteredand open plan interiors, large windows admitting plenty of light andopening onto gardens and terraces symbolized their bright newefficient vision for the future which they believed new technology andmass production would make available to everyone .
2.4.3 Style Systems as Reference
If a building is found in a particular style it means that there are other
buildings or artefacts in the same style or having similar characteristics. Those
manmade objects, however, may or may not have identical forms, besides the fact that
they most probably do not share all the characteristics features of that style because a
style has many possible manifestations and it concretizes a collection of similar but
not typical situations (Norberg-Schultz, 1965). Therefore it is more accurate to
understand that the word style refers to a system of elements and relations which are
found in varying degrees of probability. And it is perhaps more convenient to define
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the style idea in terms of the most probable formal composition and appearance
(Norberg -Schultz, 1965).
2.4.4 New Styles
Architectural styles can change under the influence of changes in society
whether technological, economic, ideological, or social. Therefore, the style of
buildings in particular context and at a particular time can be related to the social
culture of that context, and can be used as a tool for dating as well (Conway and
Roenisch, 1994).
Architectural styles can also be revived as a result of new building types,
materials, technologies, social changes, or if it is to be used in a different geographical
location. Moreover, a foreign style can be adapted or transmitted from one region to
another through travel or trade or under the influence of colonialism or war. In such
conditions, the style is modified so as to suit the new circumstances (Conway and
Roenisch, 1994).
A new style is usually developed from an existing one that is known. In this
case, elements are kept constant while relations changed. Or, it can happen the other
way around; relations are kept constant but with new elements. The new styles may
then be considered as deviations from one known style (Norbeg-Schultz, 1965).
2.4.5 Discerning Styles
Discerning Styles does not depend only on what is visible on the surface but
on the overall feeling or quality the work seems to exhibit (Feldman, 1979). Those
very feelings or qualities are what makes viewers distinguish one style from another
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and respond differently.
Human responses to stylistic qualities of architectural works are most often
connected to the evoked thoughts that come from the visual appearance of those
works (Meiss,1990) in addition to the evaluative or aesthetic qualities that are subject
to influential circumstances such as specific point of time or certain emotional states
and intentions( Nasar, 1997).
Adequate experience seems to be important for discerning stylistic qualities of
buildings. Through their system of expectations ( schemata) which they have built
through past experiences , individuals become able to place the perceived work in
system of building forms and tasks (Norbeg-Shultz,1965),or in its right category of
knowledge structure (Nasar,1997) . Therefore, discerning a style involves the
perception of sameness and the differences of the cognitive structure of the work
being studied. Kelly (1955), as cited by Sanoff (1991), views such kind of perception
as a basic element in comparing and constructing visual stimuli.
2.4.6 Responding to Styles
Ordinary people respond to stylistic qualities upon discerning them. Kinds of
that response falls into 3 categories: Descriptive; Judgmental; and Affective (Sanoff,
1991). This is to say that a building can receive comments such as uniform, united,
and symmetrical. Or it can be judged as peaceful, ordered and relaxed. Also, and quite
often, a building can be seen novel, stimulating, and interesting which reflects the
viewers' feelings and emotions toward that building.
However, critics respond differently to stylistic qualities of things as they tend
to critically judge the work to reveal its formal excellence or its expressed ideas and
concepts that lie elsewhere beyond the domain of art (Feldman, 1979).
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Art criticism is seen as empirical enterprise against deductive processes and is
taken by many intellectuals as a tool for enticing cognition or a vast number of issues
including the social and cultural context in which the artist has worked. Thus, art
critics must be equipped with critical sensibility so that they can be responsible to
experience the work of art in its fullness and to be able to react fairly to the variety of
meanings it has.
Feldman (1997) thinks of the performance of art criticism as having four
stages: description; formal analysis; interpretation; and forming hypothesis.
In the description stage, the critic prepares an inventory of what is
immediately presented to the viewer, then a technical description of the way the seen
elements seem to have been made, with the consideration of minimizing the
disagreement between elements.
In the formal analysis stage which follows, the critic goes behind the
descriptive inventory to discover how the listed elements are constituted. In doing
this, the critic actually describes the qualities of the elements which are seen
responsible for the meanings of things.
2.5 Broudy's Four Domains: An Aesthetic Model
2.5.1 Understanding the Model
Whatever the artist's purpose, art reflects us and our relationship with our
environment. It is a characteristic of the produced images that they usually transcend
their material substance. This transcendence allows the viewer to ascribe a completely
new social and/or aesthetic meaning to a work viewed out of the context of the time
and place in which it was produced: a meaning perhaps not anticipated by the artist.
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It has been observed that most cultures, both past and present, have produced
objects to meet their physical and spiritual needs. There was, and in some cultures still
is, no distinction between the practical function of an object and its spiritual and
aesthetic significance. In these cultures, art is not an object valued for its own sake-it
is simply part of the process of living, the enactment of meaningful ritual in the life of
the community.
However, context and social and historical meaning are not enough to appraise
a work of art. Most theorists and practitioners of the visual arts agree that a theoretical
framework of aesthetics and an aesthetic sensitivity is necessary in order for the
viewer to understand, appreciate and enjoy the work on its own terms, free of wider
social implications.
Harry Broudy, an art educator and theorist, insists on the importance of this
aesthetic framework in responding to the arts. The explicit principles of aesthetic
theory have been spelled out and developed by Broudy in his book Enlightened
Cherishing (1972). Broudy believes that the aesthetic experience is a fundamental
component of appreciating the visual arts because it represents a primal form of
human experience on which all cognition, judgment and action depend.
Broudy (1972) set a model for the components/elements of visual art on which
all human cognition, judgment and action depend. These elements are:
Sensory Properties: The elements of line, shape, texture, and color. large and small
size, deep and shallow space, dark and light, etc.
Formal Properties: The way the art work is organized. Unity, repetition, balance,
contrast, dominance, rhythm, variety, etc.
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Technical Properties: How the work was created. The medium used (stone, glass, or
aluminium, etc.). The method used for execution of the work
Expressive Properties: The mood, feeling or philosophical concepts of the work.
Broudy (1972) has stressed the necessity of understanding the interrelationship
between the concepts and their elements. Although it is desirable to examine
individual elements, it is almost impossible to isolate them. Each can be used to
amplify the others. For example, sensory elements of colour and shape can tee
'scanned' end then used to question formal elements of balance: 'How many colours
are repeated?' 'Show me how the two triangles balance the square.' Sensory, formal
and technical elements can be used to explain how an artist achieved a particular
effect, mood or human quality. For example: 'Cheerful, carefree song is created by the
composer through the use of a light airy texture, repetition and choice of instruments'.
In Broudy's (1972) model, emphasis is placed on locating everything that is
said about the work in the work of art, not in discussing how it affects the viewer. The
sensory, formal, technical and expressive properties are perceived as of and in the
object, not in us. He calls this principle phenomenological objectivity. (For more
information refer to Appendix A)
2.5.2 How Broudy's Model Works
Within the model, the viewer is urged to pose open-ended questions of the art
object-Why? How? What if . . .?-instead of specific questions which if taken singly
would limit, by their phrasing, exploration of the qualities inherent in the work itself-
'Is this or that figure realistic?', 'Is this work large or small?'
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Each participant makes his or her own interpretation based on the conceptual
framework developed by Broudy. Using the model as a reference, participants were
able to systematically 'scan' aesthetic objects to identify their sensory, formal,
technical and expressive properties (the perceptual mode). They formulated questions
when looking at the photos:
- What kinds of lines are in the picture: straight, curved, diagonal, wavy (sensory)?
- Is the texture rough or smooth (sensory)?
- Is the building balanced? Is it symmetrical or asymmetrical (formal)?
- Does the building have rhythm? Is it exact or flowing (formal)?
- Does the building look calm or dynamic? Does it 'sound' noisy or soft (expressive)?
- List words that describe the way it is built (technical).
Broudy's emphasis on the intrinsic aesthetic qualities of art does not mean that
he discounts the importance of social and historical context, but rather that full
appreciation of works of art is impossible without cultivation of both approaches.
This cultivation will not take place spontaneously or incidentally. The full
range of feeling is not expressed by the popular arts or by the fortuitous encounters of
daily experience. For this purpose, the whole tradition of art is needed, just as the
whole tradition of science is needed to infuse the population with the import and
potentiality of scientific thought.
2.6 Summary
"Style" as a term and as a concept was defined and explained here in the visual
arts in general and in architecture in particular. The chapter provided rich information
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from the literature about Style in Art and gave a brief on the classification of style.
Feldman's (1979) kinds of style in art were presented. The style of the formal order
was applied to architecture as a field of art.
Architecture as a field of art made the researcher apply Broudy's (1972) four
domains (the sensory, the formal, the technical and the expressive) to identify what
elements could have created the qualities of the studied exteriors.
2.7 Figures
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Figure 2.1: Wax Tablet and Stilus which was invented and used by the Romans as aWriting Instrument (Source:http://romanhistorybooksandmore.freeservers.com/p_tablet_l.htm) accessed on27/5/2007
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Figure 2.2: An Example of the Style of Objective Accuracy (Source: Harris, 1979, p.197)
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Figure 2.3: An Example of the Style of Formal Order (Source: Arnason, 1998, p.389)
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Figure 2.4: An Example of the Style of Emotion (Source: Arnason, 1998, p. 107)
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Figure 2.5: An Example of the Style of Fantasy(Source:www.beatmuseum.org/kienholz/images/m-birthday.jpg) accessed on15/5/2007
Chapter 3: Literature Review
3.1 Style Grouping/ Classifying
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3.1.1 The Concept of Cognitive Structure
3.1.2 The Concept of Visual Equivalence
3.2 Describing Stylistic Qualities or Over-All Feelings
3.2.1 Broudy's Four Domains of Artistic Design
3.2.2 Formal Design/ Composition Variables
3.2.3 Stylistic Qualities through Visual Communication
3.3 Perceiving Stylistic Qualities or Over-All Feelings
3.3.1 Brunswick's Lens Model
3.3.2 Subjective Impressions, Descriptions, Judgements and Responses
3.4 Summary
3.5 Figures
Chapter 3: Literature Review
This chapter intends to guide the researcher in theorizing the data to be
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collected so as to answer the basic question of this study about identifying the new
office buildings' exterior styles in West Amman.
Here, the material which consists of useful concepts and previous studies in
the area of architectural styles is divided into three parts:
a) The first part is about classifying the selected exteriors into style groups
based on the concept of sameness and differences (Kelly, 1955) and the concept of
visual equivalence.
b) The second part is about recognizing the most common qualities and
relating them to design variables and principles (Lang, 1987; Ching, 1979) as well as
to Broudy s (1972) aesthetic framework.
c) The third part is about the formulation of those qualities based on the
theoretical underpinnings of Brunswick s (1956) Lens Model. According to this
theory, the formulated common qualities are viewed as probable judgement of the
perceived exteriors.
3.1 Style Grouping/ Classifying
3.1.1 The Concept of Cognitive Structure
Style grouping or classification is dependent on seeing sameness and
differences among a number of things as the basic elements of understanding their
physical attributes (Kelly, 1955, as cited by Sanoff, 1991, p.16). The idea of this
concept regarding the cognitive structure of things is that people prefer one thing over
another by using certain kinds of dimensions to compare and contrast. Beside that, the
same concept is useful for understanding seemingly different things in the same way
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if their cognitive structures are alike.
3.1.2 The Concept of Visual Equivalence
The concept of visual equivalence is based on the idea of judging similarities
between visually represented things. Olver and Hornsby (1966) laid down five modes
for recognizing equivalence between things. Those are: the perceptible; the
functional; the affective; the nominal; and the fiat (as cited by Sanoff, 1991).
Trying to distinguish equivalence between things and to categorize them
accordingly is a learning process. In Lang's (1987, p.94) words:
The ability to learn how things are related in categories and how touse categories is central to human existence. It depends on thecognitive processes of generalization. Without the ability to generalizefrom past experience, people would not be able to function as they do."
In a study conducted by Brunswick (1956), similarity responses toward 1500
photographs of rural North Carolina houses, were based on using seven major criteria:
form, detail, quality, context, style, size and status. But in a more recent study on the
differences in the perception of national and classicist German architecture, Hartmut
Espe (1981) found out that 'style' was the predominant source of variance. The study
also indicated that the two types of architecture were perceived differently by
different groups, and that the revealed styles related to ideology which was expressed
in the studied architecture by means of metaphorical exemplifications.
On the same subject of what criteria are usually used for classifying styles,
Linda Groat (1995) too discovered that different sub-cultural groups used different
criteria for evaluating buildings' exterior styles. She also concluded that some
respondents, especially laymen, might not be able to differentiate between the modern
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and the postmodern architectural styles.
On that very issue, Ward and Russel (1981) thought that subjects may be
encouraged to label verbally the dimensions or criteria for judging architectural styles.
They suggested that interviewers would use some appropriate mechanisms for that
purpose.
3.2 Describing Stylistic Qualities or Over-All Feelings
In all visual art forms, including architecture, describing stylistic qualities or
feelings to those forms requires describing the work's primary elements, how they are
perceived, interpreted and judged.
The new office buildings' exteriors in West Amman, which are the concern of
this study, are seen as artworks of an impersonal character made of elements akin to
those described by Broudy's (1972) four domains that provide structure and direction
to aesthetic education and criticism.
Based on this resemblance, the study used those domains to describe the
formal organization or the visual design of the studied exteriors. Other theoretical
notes were used if found relevant.
3.2.1 Broudy's Four Domains of Artistic Design
In all visual art forms, including architecture, describing stylistic qualities or
feelings require describing the work's primary elements through which it is perceived,
interpreted and judged. Those elements are seen akin to Broudy's (1972) four domains
which are:
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a) Sensory elements
Sensory elements are related to information perceived by the senses through
qualities which make the perceived work interesting to our senses. Such elements
include: color, tonal qualities, lines, shape, or contour, light and dark and texture.
b) Formal elements
Formal elements are the structural or organisational properties of a form;
pattern or design in terms of composition. They are the arrangements of the sensory
elements the designer or the artist chooses to form the whole work. Such elements
include: balance, symmetry, asymmetry, simple, complex, repetition, proportion, size,
weight, dominance and subordination, contrast, rhythm, coherence and unity.
c) Technical elements
Technical elements refer to sensitivity to a particular skill, technique or
craftsmanship evident in a work of art. Those elements include: properties of medium
or construction and finish materials, craftsmanship and technical skills of the builder,
and quality of execution.
d) Expressive elements
Expressive elements are the components from which the viewer derive
meanings feelings, and values in works of art, depending on his/her perception of the
other as well as on past experience. Those element include: mood properties,
emotional states, dynamic states and character states.
Broudy (1972) explains:
sensory, formal, technical and expressive elements can be used toexplain how an artist achieved a particular effect, mood, or human
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quality. For example: a cheerful, carefree atmosphere is created by theartist through the use of a light airy texture, repetition and choice ofbright contrasting color".
Sensory elements alongside with formal and technical elements are focused on
when trying to provide a framework for understanding the exterior's style of a
building. Those elements altogether make the design of that exterior which has a non-
representational character just like any architectural work (Feldman, 1979, p.224).
Sensory and formal elements, in particular, have received the attention of many
theorists and professionals in the field. They concentrate on two things: Design
Elements and Design Principles.
3.2.2 Formal Design/ Composition Variables
Design Elements: are the dots, lines, planes and volumes (Lang, 1987, p.188;
Ching, 1979, p.19). When grouped together, dots make lines, lines make planes, and
from planes form volumes (Lang, 1987, p.188)
Design Principles: are theorized differently. While Feldman (1979, p.259) sees
unity as the only principle of visual organization, Lang (1987) thinks that most beliefs
on this issue are somehow related to the Gestalt laws of visual organization which are
aimed at producing "good" designs described as symmetrical, inclusive, united,
harmonious, regular and concise. Applying the principle of proportion by which
different-size units of the same design relate orderly to each other and to the whole, is
believed to be an effective principle of formal organization, especially the design of
buildings' facades or exteriors (Banham, 1960).
Any formal composition, no matter how well or badly it is designed, will be
seen as one whole. This fact calls for unity of the design. And unity can be achieved
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through the device of dominance by size, color, intensity or difference (Feldman,
1979, pp. 259-262), or through the device of coherence through repetition, similarity,
proximity, common enclosure, symmetry, or the orientation of the parts (Meiss, 1990,
p. 32).
An ordered visual composition must be balanced and stable. This can be
achieved by optical weight, interest, difference or dissonance. Moreover, ordered
visual composition can be simple or complex depending on their degree of richness
and diversity (Nasar, 1992). The issue of complexity contributes largely to the
architectural aesthetics about which several studies have been done by a number of
scholars like Wohlwill (1976); Lang (1987); and Nasar (1991).
In architecture, formal order intended to produce stability and permanence. It
has three variations depending basically on the kinds of forms being employed: the
intellectual, the biomorphic and the sensuous (Feldman, 1979, p. 167) which is
believed to be used at a very lesser degree in architecture.
The intellectual formal order uses geometric shapes derived from mathematics
or engineering and suggests machine technology, while the biomorphic relies on using
forms of organic shapes from the biological world, thus stays in harmony with the
organic philosophy of architecture.
Figures 3.1 and 3.2 at the end of this chapter illustrate examples of the
intellectual and the biomorphic formal order in architecture.
Most studies on architectural styles have concentrated on aesthetics and
preference. Many focused on complexity and other collative properties of
environmental stimuli, while few were interested in investigating the symbolic aspect
of those design.
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In dealing with complexity in buildings' facades, Arthur E. Stamps III (1999)
explored the minimal set of architectural descriptions and suggested three factors
(silhouettes, massing and surfaces) that were found in high correlation with subjective
impressions. The study revealed that surface complexity was the most important
factor for visual preference of façade style. Also, the study indicated that the size of
elements was responsible for creating the complexity of facades as they were
perceived as parts, ornaments or textures.
In a different study on complexity in buildings' facades, Norberg-Schultz
(1965) recommended the breaking of the visual stimulus into levels or layers. In
harmony with this notion, Chan (1997) based his study on detail and formal
complexity on using multi-disciplinary information theory to relate the degree of
complexity in a building with the amount of information it contains. Chan, while
trying to relate detail to complexity, found out that the formal complexity was
affected by the following factors:
a) the number of details: Complexity level was heightened with the
increased number of details n a façade,
b) the novelty of details: Complexity level was heightened with the
novelty and the dissimilarity of details n a façade,
c) the level of organization within elements: Complexity varied
inversely with the level of organization within elements, and
d) the rate of details in relation to surface area: Details appeared more
complex in a smaller surface.
The other theory Chan (1997) used was the gestalt theory of visual perception.
Gestalt psychologists identified a group of factors that influence the perception of a
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group of smaller figures (Lang, 1974). According to this theory, perception of visual
forms is understood to be governed by a number of laws; mainly the law of
continuity, the law of proximity, the law of closure, the law of similarity, and the law
of symmetry.
Chan used these laws to group elements of a façade into details of hierarchies.
He found out that the reduction of details have been employed by many modern and
minimalist architects, so that their buildings appear simple and pure. But he returned
to his original question: is less 'detail' more or bore?
Chan (1997) pointed out that formal complexity (more details) has a
relationship with pleasure. The pleasantness afforded by a façade pattern rises with
the complexity of that pattern. So, Chan (1997) concludes that details are important
for building exteriors. They evoke the fact that the experience of a building is affected
by other aspects of architecture. But a lack of detail is not always boring. Tado Ando's
or Mies Van Der Rohe's buildings (where details are deliberately eliminated) are
highly praised for their fluidity in space, nobleness of material and precision of
workmanship.
Yasser Elsheshtawy (1997, pp. 301-316) in his article " Urban Complexity:
toward the measurement of the physical complexity of street-scape" brought the issue
of how building facades are the main contents for achieving a desired visual
complexity in urban settings. He directed his paper to develop a measurement for the
complexity of streetscape.
He pointed out that measuring a streetscape complexity is not through dealing
with isolated elements but through a whole perspective starting from the building in a
context that makes an element in the street-scene going to windows till we reach the
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smallest level of a façade. He quoted Norberg-Schultz (1965) who noted:
"Actually the distinction between elements and relations is only anexpedient and it is always possible to decompose an element intosubordinate elements and relations, or to unify the elements andrelations into superior elements. In this way a building as a wholebecomes an element in an urbanistic context." Elsheshtawy (1997, p.304)
The element is always a whole on another level. Elesheshtawy used Hall's
(1959) conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between these levels.
Hall's model is made up of three types of components: isolates, sets, and patterns.
Using Hall's model, the buildings form the set, isolates are the elements constitute a
building such as the windows, cornices, patterns.
To study the complexity of an elevation is through studying various elements
and masses that contribute to the building's overall complexity. Norberg-Schultz
(1965) found out that it was necessary to break a façade, or a "bounding surface" into
levels and layers.
Elsheshtawy (1997) concluded that the development of a streetscape required
more development in complexity and preference measures of premises and needed to
explore the degree to which this varied along socio-cultural factors.
Elsheshtawy (1997) in addition, required more development in the areas of 3D
complexity, novelty, variables of complexity including color and light, and the sample
type for such study.
3.2.3 Stylistic Qualities through Visual Communication
Visual communication is believed to be the most effective vehicle for
conveying facts and ideas (Feldman, 1979), not only in terms of what is expressed,
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but how wide and deep it is. This is simply because such mode of language "
knows no limits of tongue, vocabulary or grammar, and it can be perceived by the
illiterate as well as the literate" (Feldman, 1979, p. 259). The vitality of the conveyed
facts and messages lies in their capabilities in eliciting appropriate behavior (Wagner,
1972) and building up people's comprehension of the environment (Sanoff, 1991, p.
15).
The organization of forms, whether geometric or organic, in creating
buildings' exteriors alongside with the construction materials and techniques ascribe
certain qualities or traits to those designs through which they are recognized and
understood. What is visible plus the overall feeling or quality the architectural work
seems to exhibit what makes style.
For instance, the formal order of the buildings designed by Ludwig Mies Van
Der Rohe is simple in shape but "severely intellectual in conception and appearance.
The absent of natural material and handicraft skills in addition to the narrow building
vocabulary and the straight lines have ascribed the qualities of purity, elegance, and
perfection" to his buildings. The work of the great artist Piet Mondrian is another
example of the intellectual order of the formal style. All the elements he has used are
understood as weight, space and motion since they do like or represent any objects
that are massive, hollowed or mobile.
To explain, it is said that:
the balance we perceive can be regarded as a type of intellectualorder an order based on operations performed by our minds with ourkinaesthetic reactions which have in turn, been excited by the visualmaterial organized by the artist" ( Feldman, 1979, p. 168)
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3.3 Perceiving Stylistic Qualities or Over-All Feelings
Stylistic qualities or traits of a visual design are believed to be subjective
impressions of what has been perceived either by sensing (using the five senses to
understand the existing facts and details) or by intuition (using ideas and associations
united with the information from the senses and coming from the unconscious).
In environmental psychology, theories of visual perception are either sensation
or information based (Lang, 1987, p. 93).
Taking the probabilistic option to explain how one interacts with his/her
surroundings, including buildings' exterior styles, this study adopted Egon
Brunswick's (1956) Lens Model or Probabilistic Functionalism.
3.3.1 Brunswick's Lens Model
Brunswick's Lens Model or theory of perception is " a theory that seems
particularly applicable to environmental perception and our understanding of
individual learning differences" (Bell et al., 2001, p. 62). In this theory, both perceiver
and environment are important and both should be seen as systems (Gifford, 2002, p.
27). The environment offers a set of stimuli that are called distal cues; the perceiver
makes sense of the most important ones to function effectively in the setting, weighs
them differently, form his/her own subjective impressions or proximal cues, and
makes the best probabilistic judgement. In this way, some cues are attended to and
some are not based on their usefulness to the different perceivers.
For making use of Brunswick's theory of perception to explain how office
buildings' exteriors are judged, the following model (Figure 3.3) was developed.
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Figure 3.3: Brunswick's Lens Model applied to the perception of office buildings'exterior styles
According to this model, the judgemental response to environmental stimulus
are the perceived styles which are the concern of this study. In Nasar's (1997) opinion,
this kind of response is directly linked to the process of stylistic classification. And
that it all depends on the formal features of the instance as they are usually compared
with known systems of the formal features, keeping in mind that variations in those
features may affect style recognition.
Judgemental responses to visual designs imply a tendency to criticize and
deliver opinions as a practical activity of a democratic society (Feldman, 1979, p.
442). However, not all individuals are thought to process the ability to response
critically to visual designs as few of them have capacity to generate disinterested
aesthetic emotion (Feldman, 1979, p.458).
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3.3.2 Subjective Impressions, Judgements and Responses
Subjective impressions are in fact descriptions of the setting as it has been
perceived by the viewer. For instance, if the subjective impressions of a place are
striking, crowded and unique, it means that place is described as striking, crowded
and unique. Those descriptions for a specific setting, then, are probable and different
from one person to another (Bell et al., 2003; Gifford, 2002) unless viewers share
opinions for one reason or another like being members of the same subcultural group.
And even so, different descriptions might result from fundamental psychological
characteristics in the self or because of some other individual differences.
In formulating subjective impressions or descriptions of environmental
stimuli, people unconsciously form concepts or categories in which they place what
they have perceived alongside with other stimuli according to their similar essential
characteristics. The importance of this cognitive process or rational thinking is that
concepts about something are formed; perceivers can categorize or label that thing,
generalize it, and respond to it appropriately.
Human responses to environmental stimuli are of three kinds: the descriptive
such as seeing the stimulus as something uniform, united or symmetrical; the affective
such as to feel that the stimulus is interesting, likable or satisfactory; and the
judgemental such as to evaluate the stimulus as being peaceful, ordered or soft
(Sanoff, 1991, pp. 27-28). Nasar (1997) adds a forth kind of response: the formal
aesthetic which is seen as the result of the cognition of all physical properties of the
perceived object as well as the relationships between its components (Lang, 1987).
The kind of a judgemental response to a building's exterior could be formalist,
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expressivist, instrumental or a combination of the three. People's judgemental
response is labelled "formalist" if their attention is primarily paid to the formal
organization of the work or the relationship among its visual elements independent of
any associations or meanings which these elements may have by themselves. They
may, too, take some interest in craftsmanship or the way things are put together or
finished in the visual field. To deliver a formalist judgement as a response to the
appearance of a manmade object is dependent on the capacity to generate
disinterested aesthetic emotion (Feldman, 1979, p. 458).
The expressivist judgemental response is perhaps the opposition of the
formalist kind as it concentrates on the ability of the work to communicate feelings
and ideas effectively, intensely and vividly. In other words, the formal elements and
their combinations are seen by the expressivist critics as vehicles for delivering ideas
or feelings.
The instrumental judgemental responses differ greatly from both the formalist
and the expressivist in its concern and objective. What matters for an instrumental
critic is not the work under study itself, but rather the consequences of the ideas and
feelings expressed by it, or the end it serves.
However, it should be noted here that all kinds of judgemental responses, even
if they are not meant to be critical or constructive, have three sequential stages:
description, analysis and interpretation (Feldman, 1979, p. 472).
Responding similarly to different stimuli is theorized as the concept of
stimulus generalization (Lang, 1987). And all kinds of responses are guided by the
viewer's schema. Figure 3.4 explains the sequence of those cognitive processes
according to Brunswick's Lens Model.
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Figure 3.4: The sequence of the cognitive processes according to Brunswick's LensModel (Source: the researcher)
Most studies on buildings' exteriors or facades have focused on the different
variables that determine how those designs look and how they are responded to by
their viewers. Those variables according to many theorists and researchers in the field,
like Lang (1987) and Nasar (1994 and 1997), are either formal or symbolic in nature,
and are seen to concentrate on different issues. Complexity and order are for the
former type, and content meanings are for the latter. However, it is important to note
that the same elements and combinations that generate the formal variables of a
design are in themselves the very source of the symbolic variables, including style, of
those designs. Yet, stylistic meanings, cannot be recognized unless the studied design
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is seen as belonging to a system of forms or a certain building type (Norberg-Scultz,
1965) that is experienced by a cultural group within a defined context (Hodder, 2003).
In such a way stylistic meanings are expected to convey not only intellectual ideas
about formal elements and combinations but also, and perhaps more important, the
ideology of a society and the prevailing values that are held by its individuals.
As cited by Sanoff (1991), Studer and Stea (1967) investigated the responses
of thirty experts toward four strips of different residential settings by using the
semantic differential scale for the purpose of distinguishing between subtle
differences and obvious stylistic differences. The found responses were of three types:
the affective, the judgmental and the descriptive. The study indicated another
important finding. The attributes that were used by the respondents to describe the
preferred façade style appeared to be complexity, stimulating, sensuous, dynamic and
roughness. And the attributes that were used to describe the less preferred style were
simplicity, universal, asymmetry, unobtrusiveness, common, static and uniform.
3.4 Summary
The presented concepts for studying buildings' exteriors styles are aimed at
helping the researcher theorize the collected data and analyze them so as to answer the
basic question of this research.
First: the concepts of cognitive structure and visual equivalence explained that
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people categorize things according to their sameness and differences based on their
styles mainly, and then they group them into classes of generalized qualities.
Second: to identify those generalized qualities of a certain style group, one can
use Broudy's (1972) four domains: the sensory, the formal, the technical and the
expressive. Each one of those domains contributes in a way or another to the sought
stylistic qualities, but the most influential one is perhaps the formal that has to do with
the compositional aspect of the design.
Third: to understand how those qualities are communicated visually,
Brunswick's Lens Model can be used to explain how things are probably perceived or
how responsive judgments are made based on both distal and proximal views or the
subjective impressions of the stimulus. Here, in this study, those subjective
impressions are the stylistic qualities sought because they are commonly used to
describe stimuli and to respond to them as well.
Fourth: to evaluate the validity of subjective impressions or the stylistic
qualities by which buildings' exteriors styles are described, one can use the concept of
stimulus generalization. Since each style group is formulated on the basis of visual
equivalence, then the descriptions of that equivalence are most probably similar, thus
their analysis and connection to the objective distal cues can work as probable facts or
laws.
3.5 Figures
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Figure 3.1: An example of the style of formal order in architecture: the intellectualstyle (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe - S.R. Crown Hall - Chicago, Illinois)(Source:http://www.waymarking.com/wm/details.aspx?f=1&guid=07e6df35-f429-46ef-bc85-f79e02c20be6
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Figure 3.2: An example of the biomorphic style in architecture: Austrian architectFriedensreich Hundertwasser (Source:http://mosaik.wordpress.com/2006/11/30/)
Chapter 4: Research Strategy, Design and Methods
4.1 Answering Question One about Style Classification
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4.1.1 Sample
4.1.2 Participants
4.1.3 Procedure: the Multiple Sorting Task
4.2 Answering Question Two on the Common Qualities or the Over-
all feelings of the members of Each Group
4.2.1 Part One: Identifying Stylistic Qualities
4.2.1.1 Sample
4.2.1.2 Participants
4.2.1.3 Procedure
4.2.2 Part Two: Checking, Rating and Connecting Stylistic Qualities
4.2.2.1 Sample
4.2.2.2 Participants
4.2.2.3 Procedure
4.3 Answering Question Three about the Design Elements That
Caused the Indicated Stylistic Qualities
4.3.1 Sample
4.3.2 Participants
4.3.3 Procedure
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4.4 Answering Question Four about the Probable Factors or Laws by
Which the Stylish Buildings' Exteriors Can Be Predicted or
Controlled
4.4.1 Sample
4.4.2 Participants
4.4.3 Procedure
4.4 Summary
4. Research Strategy, Design, and Methods
Finding out what can be known about buildings exterior style required a set of
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assumptions, decisions, and procedures to form the most appropriate methodology for
doing the work. Such methodology involves a research strategy, design, and methods
that focus on the type of information that would be constructed around the intellectual
puzzle so as to answer the addressed questions about:
- What are the new office buildings exterior styles have in West Amman? How
many can be identified?
- What are the common qualities or the over-all feelings between the members
(buildings' exteriors) of each style group?
- What causes those qualities or over-all feelings, or what the design elements
those contribute to those qualities or feelings?
- What are the most probable laws or facts by which the stylish office buildings
exteriors in West Amman can be predicted and controlled?
In some detail, a research strategy can be defined as:
.A strategy of inquiry comprises a bundle of skills, assumptions,and practices that the research employs as he or she moves fromparadigm to the empirical world. At the same time, strategies of inquiryalso connect the researcher to specific methods of collecting andanalyzing empirical materials . (Denzin and Lincoln, 2003a, p.36).
And a research design is:
.A research design describes a flexible set of guidelines thatconnect theoretical paradigms first to strategies of inquiry and secondto methods for collecting empirical material. A research design situatesresearchers in the empirical world and connects them to specific sites,persons, groups, institutions, and bodies of relevant interpretivematerial, including documents and archives (Denzin and Lincoln,2003a, p.36).
This chapter is devoted to clarifying those decisions and procedures that were
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found most appropriate for collecting the needed date for pursuing the work.
4.1 Answering the Question about Style Classification
The strategy adopted for answering this question is the collective instrumental
case study (Stake, 2003, pp.136-138). The researcher is interested in studying not a
single case of building s exteriors, but a large number of exteriors to find out how
many families or groups of similar qualities there are. The intention is to investigate
the phenomenon of those new exteriors and to redraw a generalization (Stake, 2003).
The only source of information for answering this question is people.
Depending on their expected abilities to perceive equivalence among a number of
different stimuli (Olvar and Hornsby, 1966) which is based on Kelly's (1955) views
on sameness and differences, people are able to categorize those stimuli and
generalize responses toward them (Lang, 1987).
The method for collecting such information was the group interview which is
often designated focus group (Fontana and Frey, 2003, pp.70-74). In applying this
method, the interviewer who was the researcher herself directed the inquiry and
interaction among interviewees in a semi-structured way.
The studied sample, participants, procedures, and expected results are
described as follows:
4.1.1 Sample
Thirty new office buildings located on 6 main streets in the West part of
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Amman were selected. This purposeful sampling (Patton, 1990) was done on the basis
of: a) richness in design; through existence of novel details, new compositions and
different new finishing materials in the façade, b) age 6 years or less (built after year
2000), and c) moderate size, no. of floors not less than 4 storeys and not more than 7
storeys. Table 4.1 lists those buildings, and Figure 4.1 shows their geographical
locations. (See both table and figure at the end of this section).
Colored photographs (Appendix B) representing the exteriors of the selected
buildings were used. The appropriateness of this visual simulation method is
explained by Groat (1995, p.147).
.......Simulation through photographs is a common device intransmitting architectural values. For instance, new developments inarchitectural design are communicated through photographs inprofessional magazines; and students learn architectural historythrough slide lectures, books and magazines. In addition, architecturalcriticism has been particularly prone to analyze and evaluate buildingson the basis of their facades "
4.1.2 Participants
A focus group of six professional Jordanian architects was formed to yield one
opinion that aimed to classify the photographs of the chosen sample into families or
groups of the same visual qualities or over-all feelings. The criteria of selecting this
particular group of participants were their architectural education, their training in
performing environmental assessment, and their most likely cognitive style which
enabled them to discern subtle differences and sameness between things (Gifford,
2002). Those reasons qualified them to be taken as critical community members
whose opinions were sought and needed.
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4.1.3 Procedure: The Multiple Sorting Task
Directed by the researcher, individuals of the same focus group were asked to
sort the 30 photographs into families or groups of similar visual qualities or over-all
feelings. They were free to formulate as many groups as they found necessary and to
include as many photos as they saw appropriate in the single family. Interaction
among participants was vital as they must reach at a consensus state between
themselves which was expected to be easy as they have the same subculture, the same
education, and of the same age group.
The multiple sorting task, according to Groat (1995, p. 146) has "many
advantages for the investigation of environmental meaning." It is less time
consuming, can be treated as a measure, is relevant to investigating multi-attribute
domains, and needs no priori rating scales.
Table 4.1: Selected new office buildings' of which exteriors have been studied
Street Name Index Building Identification
ST1 Abdel Alhamid Sharaf 1 Corner Bldg2 Al Waseem
ST2 Prince Shaker Bin Zeid 3 TAG4 Hussaini Group
ST3 Al Kindi 5 Middle East Insurance Co.
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ST4 Queen Nour 6 Maani7 Umniah8 Egyptian Arab Land Bank
ST5 Isam Al-Ajlouni 9 Capital Investments10 Strip Bldg11 Marriot HQ12 Stone & Glass Bldg
ST6 Zahran 13 Bldg adjacent to Dana Plaza14 Deloitte15 HSBC16 Arab Bank
ST7 Makkah 17 Al Husaini18 Isuzu/ Citroen19 Abu Taweileh
ST8 King Faisal Bin Abel Azeez 20 Arab Telemedia21 Jate
ST9 King Abdullah II 22 Fastlink23 Global Health24 BlackStair Bldg25 Blue Bldg.
ST10 Arar 26 SITTCO Group27 Riyadh Investment28 Haddad Plaza29 Stonebase Bldg
ST11 Abdul Mun'm Riyadh 30 3rd Circle Bldg
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Figure 4.1: The geographical location of the selected office buildings - surveyedstreets colored in magenta
4.2 Answering the Question on the Common Qualities or the Over-All Feelings among the Members of Each Style Group
The sought common qualities or the over-all feelings of a single exterior style
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group is what people perceived and ascribe meaning to when encountering members
of this group (cf. Zeisel, 1981, p.182).
Therefore, the aim of this question can be directed at discovering the
participants' both perception and interpretation of the selected buildings' exteriors. In
other words, the researcher wanted to know how respondents saw or perceived what
was common within each style group as well as, how they understood them or what
connotative meanings they ascribed to those groups. For example, a building's
exterior may be seen or perceived more modern and appealing than others, which is a
perception response. And it can be interpreted or felt as a factory or an advanced
innovation, which is a meaning response.
Furthermore, the researcher aimed to measure the unitary influence of the
discovered common perceptions and meanings. Another aim was to know the design
elements that contribute to the formation of such perceptions and meanings. The
design elements that this study had considered were those similar to Broudy's (1972)
four domains discussed in the previous chapter: the sensory; the formal; the technical;
and the expressive.
For discovering how people perceive or feel when viewing a stylish exterior,
the researcher used 4 cases of each single style group, or the collective instrumental
case study (Stake, 2003) as a strategy. Once again, the aim was to redraw
generalization not to learn more about one single case.
As for the most appropriate method for collecting the sought information, the
creative interview technique was adopted. This is because what mattered, was how
people perceive and feel not their limited responses to a set of predetermined
categories. In this method, respondents were seen as active informants that can help
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the researcher find an access to the assumed core knowledge (cf. Fontana and Frey,
2003, pp. 91-93).
The method for answering this question fell into two parts. Part One aimed at
defining the shared qualities among the members of each style group; and Part Two
was directed towards investigating the importance of those qualities and connecting
them to their exterior design elements.
4.2.1 Part One: Identifying Stylistic Qualities
4.2.1.1 Sample
A systematic sample of 4 members (buildings) of the single style group was
considered for investigating the common perceptions and meanings, or the common
qualities and the over-all feelings, between them. Colored photographs represented
the real exteriors.
4.2.1.2 Participants
The same focus group of 6 architects was employed for answering the
previous questions.
4.2.1.3 Procedure
In a brainstorming session form, and for each style sample, members of the
focus group were asked to give shared opinions on a specific question (Fontana and
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Frey, 2003). The question was:
"What are the shared qualities between those exteriors?" or
"What are their common impressions or over-all feelings?"
The focus group yielded 4 common qualities for each style group. Those
qualities were considered predetermined for the following step.
4.2.2 Part Two: Checking, Rating and Connecting Stylistic Qualities
4.2.2.1 Sample
The same 4 buildings of each single style group were considered as in part 1.
4.2.2.2 Participants
Thirty professional architects from the private sector participated in this study.
They were all Jordanian residents of West Amman; age between 24 and 35; and a
mixture of males and females.
Those participants represented the critical community whose opinions were
sought and needed to provide different insights into the phenomenon of the new office
buildings' exterior styles in West Amman. Such opinions were expected to be deeper,
more critical and more thoughtful. And the studied exteriors would seem to have
probable facts and laws to predict and control them within their physical and social
contexts.
The size of participants/interviews which was thirty fell into the allowed range
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of most qualitative research strategies (cf. Morse, 1994, p. 225).
4.2.2.3 Interview Format
The used interview format was on A4 size page that included the following items:
a) The sample photographs located horizontally at the top of the page to help the
participant keep eye on them when making decisions concerning how they
were perceived and interpreted.
b) A verbal instruction to check a predetermined quality or an over-all feeling
that seemed common between the 4 exterior photographs, and to freely
formulate other qualities or over-all feelings if any. Seven cells were allocated
for that checking: four for the predetermined and three for any undetermined.
The predetermined were those arrived at by the focus group previously. Those
qualities or over-all feelings were all instances of the participants' cognitive
response: the perception and the meaning type.
c) A verbal instruction to use a provided 7-point rating scale for measuring the
influence of the checked qualities or overall feelings.
d) A verbal instruction to check the design elements that seemed responsible for
creating the checked qualities or over-all feelings. Those elements were
written orderly as a reference at the bottom of the page so as to help the
respondents make the right decision when choosing between them.
To maximize information gathering and minimize fatigue, the three questions
in items b) and c) were combined into one. Zeisel (1981, p.162) sees that such
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combination is possible if all concerned questions deal with one topic.
All addressed questions applied to the respondents were simple, precise and
neutral so that they could be understood in the same way by different respondents.
These questions were:
1- What is common between these exteriors?
2- Check the item/items that seem responsible for creating that quality you
have chosen.
Figures 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 at the end of this section illustrate the used formats for
elaborating on the common qualities of the found exterior style groups: 'A', 'B' and 'C'.
4.2.2.4 Procedure
Participants were asked to complete an interview format to indicate their
opinions concerning the stylistic qualities or the over-all feelings that seemed
common to them among the 4 members of each style group.
Four qualities were given, and three were left open so as to encourage
participants to freely formulate their private thoughts.
Besides that, participants were asked to measure the uniting influence of the
checked qualities or feelings.
For each quality or over-all feeling, participants were instructed to use a
separate sheet of the format.
Before starting completing the questionnaire, respondents' attention was drawn
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to the following facts about the stylistic qualities they were asked to look for and
report:
a) Stylistic qualities or over-all feelings of a visual stimulus are mostly
intellectual not evaluative or aesthetic. They address the mind and the thinking
not the personal feelings or appraisals.
b) Stylistic qualities or over-all feelings of visual stimuli can be discussed
in terms of forms and contents (Conway and Roenisch, 1994).
c) The common, uniting element may be directly visible in a
particular use of color, shape, space, line or texture; or it may be detected in a
qualitative relationship among these elements" (Feldman, 1979, p. 136).
often, there is no single physical attribute that is both necessaryand sufficient for membership, but large number of features but notevery building will have all of those features" (Conway and Roenisch,1994, p. 144).
d) Usually, there is no more physical attribute that is both necessary and
sufficient for membership of an exterior style (Conway and Roenisch, 1994,
p.144)
e) There is a large number of features that characterize an exterior style,
but not every exterior will have all of those features (Conway and Roenisch,
1994, p.144)
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Figure 4.2: Interview Format for Style Group A
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Figure 4.3: Interview Format for Style Group B
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Figure 4.4: Interview Format for Style Group C
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4.3 Answering Question Three About The Design Elements ThatCause the Indicated Stylistic Qualities
4.3.1 Sample
The same sample as for answering the previous question.
4.3.2 Respondents
The same 30 architects as in the previous question.
4.3.3 Procedure
The previous interview format included a part that had already answered this
question. Respondents had checked the design elements they thought responsible for
creating the checked qualities or over-all feelings whether determined or formulated
by the respondents themselves. Those design elements were Broudy's (1972) Four
Domains Aesthetic Model. Table 4.2 below illustrates those domains along with their
items as given to respondents.
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Table 4.2: Broudy's (1972) Four Domains and their Items
Domains Included ItemsSensoryElements Color & Tonal Values, Shapes, lines, Light or Dark, Texture
FormalElements
Arrangement, Organization Principles, Contrast & Interest,Proportions, Unity and Coherence, Degree of Simplicity/Complexity
TechnicalElements
Properties of Building Materials, Craftsmanship, Technical Skillsof the Builder, Quality of Execution
ExpressiveElements Mood Properties, Emotional State, Dynamic Qualities, Character
State
4.4 Answering Question Four About The Probable Facts or Laws By Which
The Stylish Office Buildings' Exterior Can Be Predicted or Controlled
4.4.1 Sample
The same representative sample used for answering questions two and three.
4.4.2 Participants
The researcher and two architects, who assisted in studying the selected
sample of each group are the participants.
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4.4.3 Procedure
The researcher critically described and analyzed the selected sample of each
style group so as to arrive at their common features and their viewed roles in
generating stylistic designs.
The researchers followed Feldman's (1979) two-step procedure to understand
how artistic works are done to perform. For studying each style group, they made a
descriptive inventory of noted features that were immediately presented to them; "
the kind of account about which any reasonably observant person would agree"
(Feldman, 1979, p.471). Then they, the researchers, formally analyzed the listed
things not to describe their features, but to understand their qualities " which are
responsible for the existence of the things" (Feldman, 1979, pp.473, 476), and the way
the work seemed to had been made.
The researchers then reduced and displayed the result of analyzing the
members of each style group by using the partially ordered meta-Matrix for
displaying data on cross-case studies (Miles and Huberman, 1994), with a clear
distinction between elements types (the sensory, the formal, the technical and the
expressive). After that, and by applying the tactics of Miles and Huberman (1994,
pp.245-262), what was shared and patterned was indicated and underlined.
Finally, the shared elements arrived at through the above-described formal
analysis, were related to the elements that were found responsible for creating the
formulated stylistic qualities, and consequently a relationship was interpreted as
predictable for using certain elements for generating certain stylistic qualities of
certain styles.
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4.5 Summary
For answering the addressed research questions, a multiple of methods and
techniques were used.
By using the multiple sorting task, a focus group classified members of a
representative sample of 30 office buildings' exterior into style groups based on their
perceptible equivalence.
Then the same focus group yielded shared opinions about the most
distinguishing common qualities of each style group.
After that, 30 Jordanian architects rated those qualities and linked them to one
or more of Broudy's (1972) elements (the sensory, the formal, the technical and the
expressive).
Finally, the studied members of each style group were formally analyzed to
find out the shared elements that united them so as to help the researcher generalize
the research results.
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Chapter Five: Analysis and Results
For analyzing the collected data, the researcher adopted Miles and Huberman's
(1995) view that consists of three concurrent flows of activity: data reduction, data
display and conclusion drawing/verification.
Data Reduction in Miles and Huberman's (1994, p. 10) words:
refers to the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstractingand transforming the data that appear in written-up field notes ortranscriptions. As we see, data reduction occurs continuouslythroughout the life of any qualitatively oriented project".
Data Display, the second major flow of analysis activity:
is an organized, compressed assembly of information that permitsconclusion drawing and action looking at displays helps us tounderstand what is happening and to do something either analyzefurther or take action based on that understanding." (Miles andHuberman, 1994, p. 11)
Conclusion Drawing/Verification according to Miles and Huberman's view(1994, p. 11) is:
noting regularities, pattern, explanations, possible configurations,casual flows and propositions .The meanings emergingfrom the data have to be tested for their plausibility, their sturdiness,their confirmability that is, their validity".
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5.1 Exterior Style Groups
Reduced and Displayed Data
By using the multiple sorting technique, the 30 selected exteriors were found to
consist of groups of relatively large number of members (5 or more) and small
numbers (2 or one). The decision was to consider the 5-members or above as the style
groups to be studied.
Figure 5.1 below shows the volume of each style group
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A B C D E F Ext1 Ext2 Ext3 Ext4 Ext5
New Styles
No.
of E
xter
iors
/Sty
le
Figure 5.1: The Volume of the Found Style Groups
Figures 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8 next illustrate that result.
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Figures 5.2: The exteriors of Style Group A
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Figures 5.3: The exteriors of Style Group B
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Figures 5.4: The exteriors of Style Group C
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Figure 5.5: The exteriors of Style Group D
Figure 5.6: The exteriors of Style Group E
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Figure 5.7: The exteriors of Style Group F
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Figure 5.8: Exteriors that do not fall in any style group
5.2 Qualities of Style Groups
(Reduced and Displayed)
By using the method of a focus group, the most distinguishing qualities of
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style groups A, B and C were underlined. Figures 5.9, 5.10 and 5.11 below, display
that result.
Style Group 'A'
Exterior 1 Exterior 2
Exterior 3 Exterior 4
Common Stylistic Qualitiesa. They all feel like true business centersb. They all look very modern and newc. They all feel advanced and remarkabled. They all feel look perfect, neat and elegant
Figure 5.9: Formulated Qualities of Style Group A
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Style Group 'B'
Exterior 1 Exterior 2
Exterior 3 Exterior 4
Common Stylistic Qualitiesa. They all look exiting and diverseb. They all look very modern and newc. They all look cheerful and interestingd. They all look individualistic and overwhelming
Figure 5.10: Formulated Qualities of Style Group B
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Style Group 'C'
Exterior 1 Exterior 2
Exterior 3 Exterior 4
Common Stylistic Qualitiesa. They all look mystic and imaginative
b. They all feel cold and formal
c. They all look fashionable and impressive
d. They all look universe and timeless
Figure 5.11: Formulated Qualities of Style Group C
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5.3 Measuring Qualities and Connecting Them with Design Elements
In answering the standardized questionnaire, the predetermined qualities for
each style group were given weight (No other qualities appeared significant). Each
quality was also connected to the design elements that seemed relevant from the
viewpoint of respondents. Tables 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 at the end of this section are
Summary Matrices of that analysis.
For each quality, the sum of the weights given by all respondents was used to
indicate the influence of that quality in style recognition assuming that:
a) a score above 180 = an extreme influential quality (+++++)
b) a score between 170 and 180 = a very influential quality (++++)
c) a score between 150 and 170 = an influential quality (+++)
d) a score between 120 and 150 = a moderate influential quality (++), and
e) a score less than 120 = a slight influential quality (+)
See following Table 5.4.
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Table 5.4: Influence of Stylistic Qualities of Groups A, B and C
StyleGroups Measured Qualities Score Degree of
InfluenceA True Business Centers 157 + + +
Very Modern and New 113 +
Advanced and Remarkable 111 +
Perfect, Neat and Elegant 105 +
B Exiting and Diverse 160 + + +
Very Modern and New 201 + + + + +
Cheerful and Interesting 129 + +
Individualistic and Overwhelming 151 + + +
C Mystic and Imaginative 180 + + + +
Cold and Formal 154 + + +
Fashionable and Impressive 159 + + +
Universe and Timeless 175 + + + +
Also, in their answering the standardized questionnaire, respondents were
asked to connect each quality they checked with the design elements (the sensory, the
formal, the technical and the expressive) that seemed responsible for generating that
quality.
The degree of connectedness between each quality and its generating elements
was measured based on the percentage of respondents who made that decision on
connectedness assuming that:
a) 90% and above agree opinions = a very strong connection,
b) between 80% and 89% agree opinions = a strong connection,
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c) between 70% and 79% agree opinions = a moderate connection,
d) between 60% and 69% agree opinions = a weak connection, and
e) less than 59% agree opinions = a very weak connection.
The concluded degree of connectedness between the qualities of each style group
and the design elements are graphically indicated in Figures 5.12, 5.13 and 5.14
below.
Figure 5.12: Connectedness or Relationships between Stylistic Qualities and theDesign Elements for Style Group A
-89-
Figure 5.13: Connectedness or Relationships between Stylistic Qualities and theDesign Elements for Style Group B
-90-
Figure 5.14: Connectedness or Relationships between Stylistic Qualities and theDesign Elements for Style Group C
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Table 5.1: Influence of Qualities and their Connectedness to Design Elements (StyleGroup A)
Qualities ofStyle Group
ANumber andPercentage
Degree ofRelationship
Scor
e
DesignElements
ofParticipant
whoconnectedStylistic
Qualities toExteriorelements
Ver
y St
rong
Str
ong
Med
ium
Wea
k
Ver
y W
eak
No. %SensoryElements 25 80% X
They all feellike truebusiness centers 157
FormalElements 27
90% XTechnicalElements 22 73% XExpressiveElements 22 73% XSensoryElements 23 77% X
They all lookvery modern &new 113
FormalElements 23
77% XTechnicalElements 21 70% XExpressiveElements 18 60% XSensoryElements 20 67% X
They all feeladvanced &remarkable 111
FormalElements 21
70% XTechnicalElements 21 70% XExpressiveElements 17 57% XSensoryElements 28 93% X
They all lookperfect, neat &elegant 105
FormalElements 27
90% XTechnicalElements 23 77% XExpressiveElements 20 67% X
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Table 5.2: Influence of Qualities and their Connectedness to Design Elements (StyleGroup B)
Qualities ofStyle Group B
Number andPercentage
Degree ofRelationship
Scor
e
DesignElements
of Participantwho
connectedStylistic
Qualities toExteriorelements
Ver
y St
rong
Str
ong
Med
ium
Wea
k
Ver
y W
eak
No. %SensoryElements 26 87% X
They all lookexiting anddiverse 160
FormalElements 20
67% XTechnicalElements 24 80% XExpressiveElements 15 50% XSensoryElements 25 83% X
They all look verymodern and new 201
FormalElements 28
93% XTechnicalElements 24 80% XExpressiveElements 18 60% XSensoryElements 27 90% X
They all lookcheerful &interesting 129
FormalElements 24
80% XTechnicalElements 26 87% XExpressiveElements 21 70% XSensoryElements 26 87% X
They all lookindividualistic 151
FormalElements 24
80% X& overwhelming Technical
Elements 23 77% XExpressiveElements 20 67% X
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Table 5.3: Influence of Qualities and their Connectedness to Design Elements (StyleGroup C)
Qualities of StyleGroup C
Numberand
Percentage
Degree ofRelationship
Scor
e
DesignElements
ofParticipant
whoConnected
StylisticQualities
to ExteriorElements
Ver
y St
rong
Str
ong
Med
ium
Wea
k
Ver
y W
eak
No. %SensoryElements 24 80% X
They all lookmystic &imaginative 180
FormalElements
27 90% XTechnicalElements 18 66% XExpressiveElements 26 87% XSensoryElements 26 87% X
They all feel cold &formal 154
FormalElements 25 80% XTechnicalElements 22 73% XExpressiveElements 17 57% XSensoryElements 21 70% X
They all lookfashionable &impressive 159
FormalElements
27 90% XTechnicalElements 16 53% XExpressiveElements 14 47% XSensoryElements 18 60% X
They all lookuniverse & timeless 175
FormalElements 26 87% XTechnicalElements 15 50% XExpressiveElements 23 77% X
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5.4 Descriptions of Style Groups According to Broudy's Elements:
(Sensory, Formal, Technical and Expressive)
Exteriors of style groups A, B and C were objectively analyzed not for naming
their elements but for describing them and understanding their meanings (Feldman,
1979). The considered elements were those related to Broudy's four domains: the
sensory, the formal, the technical and the expressive. Each exterior within all of the
studied members was dealt with as a within-case, and exteriors of the same group
were regarded as a cross-case study (Miles and Huberman, 1994).
Analysis was of 3 steps. First, 4 selected exterior examples of each style group
were described in detail. Then, descriptions were reduced, and finally compared with
each other so as to arrive to what was shared and common between those examples.
Analysis results were reduced and displayed in the form of partially ordered
matrices, the checklist type (Miles and Huberman, 1994)
Tables 5.5, 5.6 and 5.7 below illustrate the reduced shared descriptions of the
design elements of style groups A, B and C.
Appendix B illustrates the reduced descriptions of the design elements for all
the studied exteriors of each style group.
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Table 5.5: Shared Descriptions of Design Elements for Style Group A according toBroudy's Model
Exteriors Broudy's Elements Shared Descriptions
Colors and Tones Light, Earthy, Neutral andBlue
Shapes Geometric: Rectangles &Squares
Lines Straight: (Horizontals &Vertical)
Dark & Light No Sharp Distinction unless inthe entry point
SENSO
RY
Texture Slightly Rough because ofsome Ornaments
Arrangement Symmetrical
Simple/Complex Simple & Minimal Details
Proportion & Size Geometric Proportions. FewParts & Ornaments
Contrast & InterestContrast between Solid &Glazed. The Glazing is thepoint of Interest
Unity & Coherence Thru. Similar Shapes &Dominating Colors
FOR
MA
L
OrganizationPrinciples
Vertical Axis, Symmetry,Rhythm & Ornaments
Properties of Bldg.Materials
Heaviness & some Lightness
Craftsmanship Moderately Skilled
Technical skills Moderate, not HighlyTechnological
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Good
Mood Properties Satisfied
Emotional Properties Restful & Complete
Dynamic Properties None, Slightly upward
Character State Dignified & Simple
EX
PRE
SSIVE
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Table 5.6: Shared Descriptions of Design Elements for Style Group B according toBroudy's Model
Exteriors Broudy's Elements Shared Descriptions
Colors and Tones Light, Neutral and Dark Grey
Shapes Rectangles, Squares & Round
Lines Straight: (Horizontals &Vertical) & Curves
Dark & Light Clear Distinction
SENSO
RY
Texture Roughness thru. Layering &Ornaments
Arrangement Asymmetrical
Simple/Complex Complex & rich in Details
Proportion & Size Harmonic Proportions. Partswithin Wholes
Contrast & Interest Sharp Contrast. Large DarkSurfaces make Interest
Unity & Coherence By Difference or Exception &by Size
FOR
MA
L
OrganizationPrinciples Multiple
Properties of Bldg.Materials
Lightness& some Heaviness
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Is Necessary
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Very Good
Mood Properties Stimulating
Emotional Properties Arousing/ drawing Attention
Dynamic Properties Yes in many directions
Character State Multiple & Complex
EXPR
ESSIVE
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Table 5.7: Shared Descriptions of Design Elements for Style Group C according toBroudy's Model
Exteriors Broudy's Elements Shared Descriptions
Colors and Tones Neutral and Dark
Shapes Geometric: Rectangles &Squares
Lines Straight: Horizontals &Vertical
Dark & Light Great Distinction betweenDark & Light
SENSO
RY
Texture Roughness thru. Gridding,Layering & Some Ornaments
Arrangement Symmetrical
Simple/Complex SimpleOrganizationPrinciples
Layering, Symmetry, Axis &Repetition of details
Proportion & Size Two parts & few Ornaments
Contrast & Interest Sharp Contrast. GlazedSurfaces make Interest
FOR
MA
L
Unity & Coherence Through Dominance ofSurface & Color
Properties of Bldg.Materials
Light Background Layer,Heavy Foreground Layer
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills A Must
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Excellent
Mood Properties Curious/ want to explore
Emotional Properties Creative Minimal/ Abstract
Dynamic Properties Forward Moving
Character State Mystic
EX
PRESSIV
E
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5.5 Summary
In this chapter, the researcher underlined the results of analyzing data:
a) The representative sample of new office buildings in West Amman
yielded 3 style groups (A, B and C) of 7, 7 and 5 members
respectfully. Three other groups resulted (D, E and F), but they
were not considered for studying as each had 2 members only. The
rest, which were 5 in number, were different and did not relate to
any of the identified style groups.
b) The formulated common qualities for each style group were the
following:
Table 5.4: Common Qualities for Style Groups A, B and C
Common S t y l e G r o u p sQualities A B C
1a. They all feel liketrue business centers
a. They all lookexiting and diverse
a. They all lookmystic andimaginative
2b. They all look verymodern and new
b. They all look verymodern and new
b. They all feel coldand formal
3c. They all feeladvanced andremarkable
c. They all lookcheerful andinteresting
c. They all lookfashionable andimpressive
4d. They all lookperfect, neat andelegant
d. They all lookindividualistic andoverwhelming
d. They all lookuniverse and timeless
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c) The common qualities of the studied style groups were found to
have different degrees of influence and different degrees of
connectedness with the design elements (the sensory, the formal,
the technical and the expressive).
d) Most contribution to the creation of stylistic qualities of the studied
exteriors seemed to come from the formal elements and the sensory
elements as well. Less contribution came from the technical
elements, and the least from the expressive elements.
e) Shared descriptions of the design elements of the three studied style
groups differed on a multiplicity of dimensions. Making sense of
those results and drawing conclusion so as to underline what can
stand as probable laws for creating different manifestations of the
single style group will be discussed in the next chapter.
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Chapter Six: Interpretation and Concluding Remarks
6.1 Interpretation or Generating Meaning
6.2 Confirming Findings
6.3 Trustworthiness
6.4 Research Limitations
6.5 Directions for Future Studies
6.6 Summary
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Chapter Six: Interpretation and Concluding Remarks
Critical reality is the basic hypothesis of this study where how things appear in
the real world is not perfectly understandable due to the human intellectual nature and
the difficulty in dealing with the environmental phenomenon of exterior style. Most
people understand buildings' style in terms of formal aesthetics and preference. So
professional peers and referees from the architectural domain have different views
that are more critical and worthwhile. Their views as shown in the previous chapter
can provide probable facts and laws for predicting and controlling buildings' exterior
styles in their contexts and historical periods. They depend on Broudy's (1972) Model
to understand how design elements give these laws to buildings' exteriors.
After analysis and displaying results, the researcher wanted to make sense of
what was accomplished and to generalize its meanings. Also it was needed to test
those findings for their plausibility, their sturdiness and their values as well as their
conformability.
This chapter is devoted for this purpose. It also throws light on new directions
for future studies and underlines the limitations of the study
6.1 Interpretation or Generating Meaning
Making sense of the research results was done following some of the tactics
proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994, pp. 245-262).
The researcher first rendered a picture of the general analysis situation being
faced. Three style groups of office buildings' exteriors emerged. Each group was
described in terms of 4 common qualities. And each quality was first given a weight
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to indicate its degree of influence, and then linked to one or more sets of design
elements (the sensory, the formal, the technical and the expressive).
In order to make sense of those qualities and their relationship with the design
elements, the researcher used 3 of the tactics proposed by Miles and Huberman
(1994). They are: Clustering, Making Comparisons and Subsuming Particulars into
General. The idea of each is described below:
a) Clustering is grouping and then conceptualizing objects that have similar patterns,
characteristics or descriptions. Or it is a sorting process of things into categories. In
such a way, the phenomenon being studied will be understood better (Miles and
Huberman, 1994, pp. 248-250).
b) Making Comparisons is what people often do naturally and quickly when
encountering new life experiment, situation or object. In Miles and Huberman's
(1994, p. 254) words:
.Comparison is a time-honored, classic way to test a conclusion;we draw a contrast or make a comparison between two sets of things persons, roles, activities, cases as a whole that are known to differ insome other important".
c) Subsuming Particulars into General which" . Involves clumping together thingsthat go together by using single or multiple dimensions. The process is often anintuitive, first-level process corresponding to ordinary coding (Miles and Huberman,1994, p.255).
This grouping is seen as sorting in more abstract classes that may have been
predefined or may have emerged as a result of memoing.
Those 3 tactics were used to make senses of this research results in two ways:
First: the common qualities of the three studied style groups were compared
with each other, clustered on the dimension of their influence as indicated previously,
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and grouped into a more general level. The resulted abstract classes were 5 as shown
in Table 6.1 below:
Table 6.1: Grouping of Qualities on the Dimension of their Influence
Clustered/ New Qualities of Style GroupsAbstract Classes A B C
Extremely Influential ____ very modernand new ____
Very Influential ____ ____
mystic andimaginative/universe and
timeless
Influential true businesscenters
exciting &diverse/
individualisticand
overwhelming
cold andformal/
fashionableand
impressive
Moderately Influential ____ cheerful &interesting ____
Slightly Influential
very modernand new/
advanced &remarkable/perfect, neatand elegant
____ ____
From the above table it was understood that some qualities were more
influential or distinguished than others. The researcher decision after that step was to
consider the upper three classes (the extremely influential, the very influential and the
influential) only for further studying.
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Second: The underlined extremely influential, the very influential and the
influential qualities were tested in relation to their connectedness to the four
categories of design elements (the sensory, the formal, the technical and the
expressive).Table 6.2 below illustrates qualities and their degrees of connectedness to
design elements.
Table 6.2: Stylistic Qualities & their Degree of Connectedness to the Four Kinds ofDesign Elements
Design Elements Grouped According to theirDegree of Relatedness with the Underlined
Stylistic Qualities
Styl
e G
roup
Qualities VeryStrong
Relation
StrongRelation
ModerateRelation
ModerateRelation
ModerateRelation
A True BusinessCenters Formal Sensory ___ Technical/
Expressive ___
Exciting &Diverse Sensory Technical Formal ___ Expressive
B Very Modernand New
Sensory/Formal Technical ___ Expressive ___
Individualisticand
OverwhelmingSensory Formal/
Technical Expressive ___ ___
Mystic andImaginative
Formal/Expressive Sensory ___ Technical ___
CCold andFormal
Sensory/Formal Technical ___ Expressive ___
Fashionableand
ImpressiveFormal ___ Sensory Technical Expressive
Universal andTimeless Formal Expressive ___ Sensory Technical
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From the above table it was understood that:
a) The quality of true business centers was most strongly related to the formal
and sensory design elements.
b) The quality of exciting and diverse was most strongly related to the sensory
and technical design elements.
c) The quality of very modern and new was most strongly related to the sensory,
formal and technical design elements.
d) The quality of unique and overwhelming was most strongly related to the
sensory, formal and technical design elements.
e) The quality of mystic and imaginative was most strongly related to the formal,
expressive and sensory design elements.
f) The quality of cold and formal was most strongly related to the sensory,
formal and technical design elements.
g) The quality of fashionable and impressive was most strongly related to the
formal design elements only.
h) The quality of universal and timeless was most strongly related to the formal
and expressive design elements.
Some of the above findings can be combined together to make the next conclusion
which can be understood as probable laws or facts:
• For creating new office buildings of exteriors that look like true business
centers, one should rely on using formal and sensory elements in the first
place.
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• For creating new office buildings of exteriors that look exciting and diverse,
very modern and new one should rely on using formal, sensory and technical
elements altogether.
From the results obtained in this research, the laws that would give a stylish
office buildings' exterior include formal and sensory elements as the most felt and
sensed elements within the sample and for all the style groups. However, this did not
seem the rule for all styles. For example, creating a new manifestation of style group
C was found to rely on using expressive elements rather than the formal or the
sensory.
The probable laws that determined the formality and the sensory aspects of
each style include the following elements of Broudy s model (1972). For style group
A:
- Sharp lines with focus on vertical divisions, shapes are geometrical, which is a
quality in intellectual order of formal style (Feldman, 1979).
- A combination of a light color framing through stone use, and a dark center
obtained by dark glazing. This created a level of contrast and that gave a
dignified state to these exteriors.
- There is a balance that is obtained from the symmetry of the façade. In
addition to that, small openings are distributed on both side of the central axis
of these exteriors.
- The façade has regular flat surfaces and the entrance is the articulated mass at
the center of the façade.
All of the above gave these exteriors the character of a true business center.
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For style group B:
- Sharp lines are mixed with curved lines.
- New colors are introduced in this group.
- The Complexity of these exteriors is due to the use different materials in a
layered manner.
- Façade has irregular shapes and curvature and that gave them a new modern
look.
- All of these laws give this group the new modern look which is newly
introduced to Amman buildings exteriors.
For style group C:
- Sensory elements focused on dark color areas.
- The dark to light relationship created the contrast in the formal elements of
these exteriors.
- The big contrast and darkness what gave the mystic appearance to this group
and drew people attention to explore.
From the previous analysis, architects make judgements about buildings based
on distinct but overlapping sets of criteria. Architects seem to draw attention to visual
aspects of exteriors to draw clear distinction between styles. Design elements that
were affective to architects were the sensory and formal elements. The expressive
elements required more experience and familiarity of the exteriors.
The different identified styles in this research give further proof to what Henri
Focillon (1963) wrote that in interpreting stylistic movements there are two facts that
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several styles exist at the same time, and styles do not develop in the same way in
different technical domains.
6.2 Confirming Findings
Aiming at ensuring the basic quality of the data and checking findings, Miles
and Huberman (1994, pp. 262-277) proposed 13 tactics of which the researcher have
used only 7 based on the nature and topic of this study. The used tactics were:
Sample Representativeness: The studies exteriors were a true representative
sample of reality as they belong to existing new office buildings in West Amman in
particular. No instances were denied or ignored. Moreover the concluded probable
laws were not claimed to be exhaustive or specific. And as for the participants
samples, whether the focus group or the questionnaire respondents, they were also
representative. Only young Jordanian architects with the appropriate educational
background and inclination towards modernity and change were considered. Also, the
addressed questions did not require specific private options, but rather general
opinions about those interpretations.
Researcher Effects: Due to the nature of this research, there was no chance for
creating artificial results. Building exteriors were studied not in the field but through
photographs. Research and respondents as well as the focus group had no self interest
in the research subject matter or the expected results. Besides that, what was studied
was images and appearances not behavioral outcomes or social processes that can be
biased or influenced by the human factor.
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Triangulation of Data Source: the examined common qualities of the studied
styles were determined three times to confirm their validity. First, they were
formulated by the focus group. Second, they were confirmed by the questionnaire
respondents who did not alter them (add or omit). Third, only those qualities which
were rated as extremely or very distinguishing were considered for drawing
conclusions.
Weighting the Evidence: The concluded probable laws were based on strong
data as they were: a) collected later, after repeated contact not early or during entry, b)
seen and reported firsthand, c) yielded by trusted individual, d) collected in informal
setting, and e) given by respondents in comfortable situation.
Using Outliers and Extreme Cases: The selected sample was seen to include
both outliers and extreme cases of new office building exteriors. This is simply
because the researcher did not focus on a specific type / style of building exteriors, but
on the widest range that was viewed possible and manageable. In fact, the inclusion of
a variety of cases intended so as to yield as many different style groups as possible
Replicating a Finding: The concerned qualities of the exterior style groups
were formulated by a focus groups and confirmed questions on the distinguishing
influence of those qualities and their degree of connectedness with the various design
elements. After arriving to results, the researcher asked new informants to view part
of the studied photographs, sort them into groups, and describe them. The new
informants were then asked to link those descriptions with the generating design
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elements (the sensory, the formal, the technical, and the expressive). No big
difference was seen between the two sets of findings.
Getting Feedback From Informants: The researcher received feedback from
local, new, and key informants on the research findings. Members of the employed
focus group and the questionnaire respondents were asked to react to the findings and
comment on them. New and key persons checked the findings when they began to
take a shape. Those persons, often called confidant", were seen as sources of
verification. The received feedback from all those informants was a positive one in
the sense of plausibility and meaningfulness.
6.3 Trustworthiness
How can the researcher persuade his or her audience that the research findings of
an inquiry are worth paying attention to? (Lincoln and Guba, 1985, p.290). To answer
this question, the researcher used the sources suggested by Miles and Huberman
(1994, pp.278-280):
Confirmability was achieved as the conclusions dependent on the subjects and
the conditions of the inquiry rather than or the inquirer. Also, conclusions were drawn
with emphasis on the reliability of the study by others.
Reliability was released by inquiry audit in which two experts analysts
examined both the process and the findings of the research. That examination proven
that: a) research questions were clear and the features of the study design were
congruent with them, b) findings showed meaningful parallels across data sources, c)
the basic paradigm and the analytic constructs were clearly defined, d) data quality
checks were made, and e) a peer review was done.
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Credibility or the question on the true value was answered through: a)
conclusions were considered accurate by original informants, b) some areas of
uncertainty identified, c) the findings were internally coherent and the concepts were
systematically related, d) the account made sense and seemed convincing , and e) the
description of findings were meaningful and strongly related to present design trends
of new office buildings in their context in West Amman
Transferability to other similar cases of new office building exteriors
belonging to the same style groups was found possible. The same stylistic qualities
would lead to the same probable laws that linked those qualities to the design element.
Therefore, findings were proven to be general or liable to be transferred .
Utilization or Application was found to be wide and effective due to the
following reasons : a) all findings were intellectually accessible to potential designers
and researchers , b) findings were found to stimulate working hypotheses on the
readers and guide them for future utilization or application, c) findings had a
catalyzing effect leading to enhanced design criteria and practices, and d) findings
were helpful in educating the readers and make them understand the role of the design
elements in creating designs of specific qualities.
6.4 Research Limitations
A significant limitation in this research was the subjectivity in understanding
Broudy's expressive elements by the respondents. Despite the fact that the
questionnaire was administered by the researcher, still some respondents were
expected to have different ways of applying it. In addition, their educational
background as architects made them concentrate on sensory and formal elements as a
base for making their judgments. Moreover, as with all survey-based research, there
-112-
were limitations to the interpretation addressed. This has influenced the response to
them.
The progressive dynamic state of style and the speed of change in style made
it difficult to categorize and group exteriors. That made the size of each group limited
and yielded too many groups. The speed of style change as Gombrich (1996) stated is
due to development in a society where style could become a motivator for change.
6.5 Directions for Future Studies
This research shall lead to further studies:
1- Further studies on style that could be applied to other building types to find
out the qualities related to a specific type and the elements that contribute to the
perceived style of each building type.
2- Studies concerning the social change that led to the new styles perceived.
The change evolved this new phenomenon can be explained and elaborated since style
has been always related to a time era for a nation and its evolution explained the
evolution of that nation. This is why we can see how style is dynamic in developed
countries and static in ritual countries (Gombrich, 1996).This phenomenon is worth of
studying.
3- A comparative study where sample is represented by laymen to study their
perception of architectural styles of building exteriors.
-113-
6.6 Summary
In this chapter, the researcher underlined the conclusions of analyzing data
which can be understood as probable laws or facts:
a) For creating new office buildings of exteriors that look like true
business centers, one should rely on using formal and sensory
elements in the first place.
b) For creating new office buildings of exteriors that look like exciting
and diverse, very modern and new one should rely on using formal,
sensory and technical elements in the first place.
The probable laws that determined each identified style include the following
elements of Broudy s model (1972).
For style group A where the quality "a true business center":
- Sharp lines, shapes are geometrical, which is a quality in intellectual order of
formal style (Feldman, 1979).
- A combination of a light color framing through stone use, and a dark center
obtained by dark glazing. This created a level of contrast and that gave a
dignified state to these exteriors.
- There is a balance through the symmetry of the façade. In addition to that,
small openings are distributed on both sides to stress axiality.
- The façade has regular flat surfaces and the entrance is a central mass.
-114-
For style group B "new modern look":
- Sharp lines are mixed with curved lines.
- New colors are introduced in this group.
- Using different materials in a layered manner.
- Façade has irregular shapes and curvature.
For style group C "mystic look":
- Sensory elements focused on large dark color areas.
- The big contrast and darkness what gave the mystic appearance to this group
and drew people attention to explore.
-115-
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- :/ 63
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Appendix 'A'
Broudy's Elements: Theory into Practice
You will recall Broudy's argument that the four 'domains' of history, criticism, studiopractice and aesthetics are central to the development of a discipline-based learningexperience in the arts. Respectively, these four domains focus on the development of:
• Comprehension of the historical and cultural contexts in which the work iscreated;
• Description, analysis and interpretation of that work;
• Perception of aesthetic effects in nature, in the physically and sociallyconstructed human environment, and in works of art.
The aesthetic concept model is concerned with a disciplined, methodical approach tothe aesthetic domain, remaining mindful of the other three domains and occasionallyassuming knowledge of them and borrowing their concepts and principles, with theaim of gaining a full appreciation of the nature of the work of art and its creator, andtherefore making valid criticism possible. However, most aesthetic qualities existwithin and derive from the work itself, independently of its context. Also, given thesubjective nature of responses to a work of art, this criticism may never be ultimatelydefinitive, though it may be influential in shaping the response of others, or indirecting them to characteristics and qualities they had not considered.
Sensory elementsSensory elements are qualities which make art work interesting to our senses.
Color, i.e. hue, value and intensity of pigment used in each media-hue (pure color)-value (lightness or darkness of a colour)-intensity (brightness or dullness of a colour)
Polar pairs Light/dark; shiny/dull; warm/cool; loud/soft; strong/weak;opaque/transparent; solid/shaded; saturated/unsaturated; advancing/receding;primary/secondary
• QuestionsWhat colours do you see in the painting?Is this blue light or dark?What colour shows that the animal is fast?What colours were used to make the sky look stormy?
Line, i.e.. A series of connected points which are or appear to be continuous.
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Polar pairs Thick/thin; straight/curved; horizontal/vertical; forwards/backwards;short/long; curved/wavy; horizontal/diagonal; convergent/divergent; jagged/smooth;sharp/soft; moving/still; continuous/broken; passive/active; up/down; rising/falling
• Questions- Where are the straight lines in the picture?If you wanted to draw a big, strong tree, would you use thin or thick lines?Which lines look busy? Which lines look fast?What happens if we connect diagonal lines and get zigzags? Does it lookagitated or calm?
Texture, i.e. the apparent look or visual feel of the art work achieved by manipulationof mediaPolar pairs Thick/thin; silky/scratchy; rough/smooth; sofVhard; weVdry; warm/cold;sticky/slick; woven/plain; prickly/smooth; coarse/fine; bumpy/even; rich/stark;regular/irregular; shiny/dull; heavy/light; lush/sparse.Other texture words: granular,harsh, metallic, pebbled, porous.
• QuestionsDoes the building look smooth or rough?Does a shirt that has a lot of lines and color look like it would feel rough or smooth?Does the dog in the picture look like it would feel fluffy or matted? Describe.
Shape, i.e. direction or contour of connected lines, organic (natural form of animateor inanimate objects-typically curved lines, circular) or geometric (refers to angularlines and standard geometric shapes-triangle, oval, square); an area enclosed by anoutlinePolar pairs Organic/geometric; round/square; curved/angular; big/small; fat/thin;concave/convex; transparent/opaque; distorted/realistic; open/closed; proportioned/not proportioned; dominant/subordinateQuestionsDo you see any triangular shapes in the picture?Is the shape of the man's face and the boy's face the same?What happens to the shapes when we turn the picture upside down?
Space, i.e. relative position of two- and three-dimensional objects in distance andlevels to each other or to the environment; the 'real' space that a three-dimensionalobject occupies. Negative space (absence of mass; unoccupied spaces, i.e. hole in adoughnut) is as important as positive space.
PerspectivePolar pairs Positive/negative; wide/narrow; inside/outside; under/over; behind/infront; large/small; tall/short; height/width; vertical/horizontal; 3D/2D;
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overlapping/parallel; empty/full; dense/sparse; unified/not unified; deep/shallow;open/closedQuestionsCan you find negative space in the sculpture?- Why do you think the artist made the man so small and left so much space aroundhim?How much space is between the flowers?Is more vertical space or horizontal space used in this painting-not technical spacing ?
Formal elements
Formal elements are the structural or organisational properties of an art form; patternor design in terms of composition.Balance, i.e. application of the concept of equal weights; real or imagined equality ofopposing or contrasting elements. Space, colour, shape and texture help determinebalance. For example, a large red circle may be balanced by a smaller, more vividyellow circle.Polar pairs Symmetrical/asymmetrical; balanced/unbalanced; equal/unequal;stable/unstable; even/uneven; weighted/unweighted; complete/incomplete;finished/unfinished; high/lowQuestionsDoes this picture look balanced? Which side is heavier?Does the blue circle balance the blue square? Which one needs to be larger?Is this sculpture symmetrical (same on both sides)?Which side of the picture has the most detail?
Rhythm: i.e. the ordered, regular recurrence of one or more elements, or the look orfeel of movement achieved by the repetition of elements (i.e. colour, line, shape,texture, space, pattern).Rhythm can be classified into four categories: exact: equal disjointed repeatedmovements; flowing: repeated element moves in a continuous motion giving asmooth, undulating pattern; alternating: at least two distinct recurring movementsrepeated with an unexpected change; and progressive: a movement or series ofmovements that increases or decreases in intensity, strength or extent (moves in steps,builds in speed, intensity, perspective).
Exact rhythm: The simplest form of repetition is exact repetition. Think of a row ofcans on a shelf in the grocery store. There is a feeling of rhythm in a picket fence orthe windows of a modern building. Ravel's Bolero is a fine example of exact rhythm.
Flowing rhythm: When the repeated element moves in a continuous motion giving a
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smooth undulating pattern, we call the rhythm flowing. For example, think of themotion of waves or the patterns created by shifting sand. Starry Night by Van Gogh isan example of the use of flowing rhythm. The swirling line which moves from left toright in the upper part of the centre of the painting illustrates the point well. Debussy'sLa Mer is a fine musical example of flowing rhythm.
Alternating rhythm: When a pattern of two distinct elements is repeated with anunexpected change or variation, we call it altemating. Lines can be thicker or thinner-closer or further apart. Shapes can be varied from large to small in an irregularmanner. Greek music often uses alternating rhythm. Scott Joplin's Entertainer uses atype of alternating rhythm we call syncopation. It is more regular than mostalternating rhythms.
Progressive rhythm: As an element regularly increases or decreases, a progressiverhythm is achieved. A shape can be arranged to increase or decrease in size. Colourscan be varied in intensity from light to dark. You might use a wedding cake as anexample of progressive rhythm. Researchers have shown that the recognition ofpatterns and the ability to discriminate between them is a sign of intelligence.Polar pairsRegular/irregular; flowing/halting; fast/slow; random/exact; patterned/plain;increase/decrease; rising/falling; coming/going; planned/unplannedQuestions· What kind of rhythm do you see in a row of 'Coke' bottles?How many shapes repeat themselves in this picture? What rhythm is created as aresult?Does the ocean have exact, flowing, progressive or alternating repetition?Where are the repeated lines and colours in this picture?
Thematic development and variation, i.e. theme is what stands out, a dominantfeature, which can be achieved through the combination of several elements, i.e.texture and colour, rhythm and line. Variation is a change in the dominant elements,with the main idea still recognisable and differences related to the theme. Thematicdevelopment is a recurring dominant element and its recognisable change(s); a motifidentification and overview of the theme in a single work of art or its recurrence inother works (e.g. Picasso's 'Blue Period': recurring subject- animals); variety of size,colour or texture, applied to a given selection of shapes, lines and forms can create atheme and/or variation.Polar Pairs Unity/variety; similar/different; add/subtract; major/minor;dominant/subordinate; status/change; state/restate; exact/improviseQuestionsWhat is the subject (main idea) of this picture?Do you see it again? Where?What colour did Picasso use as a theme?
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Proportion and contrast, i.e. the relationship of elements, one to another, parts to awhole, sense of scale; the comparison of differences in elements, usually physicalproperties. The composition of an art form is integrated through the use of proportionand contrast. The artist uses contrast and proportion to make one element'stand out' orappear more obvious. The element would not look as large, as bright, if not placed injuxtaposition with the smaller or the darker element.Polar pairs Short/tall; large/small; empty/full; young/old; better/worse; part/whole;squat/slender; wide/narrow; isolated/total; harmonious/clashing; separate/together;exaggerated/real; enlarged/reduced; light/dark; loud/softQuestionsHow does the artist make the black shape look prominent on the canvas?What other colour makes it stand out?How does the dark outline unify the painting?Why does the figure look so skinny?What did the artist do to the body parts to achieve an effect of boniness?Which figure looks more important in the painting?Why did the artist paint the baby so large?Why did the artist use a brighter shade of paint for the child's skin tone?
Technical elementsTechnical elements refer to sensitivity to a particular skill, technique or craftsmanshipof the artist evident in a work of art. At the primary and junior secondary level ofschooling, technical information may seem simple and elementary, but it is the basisof skills in an art form and a foundation to 'appreciate' the arts technically. Thestudent can use technical skills in the creative process, but attention to the sensory,formal and expressive properties can enhance the experience.
Properties of medium/use of elements or materials, i.e. particular characteristics ofa medium (e.g. in painting, oil, watercolour, other); how the artist used the medium(e.g. in painting, specific use of brush) and artist's knowledge and mastery of themedium, including any information pertaining to the use of a medium (how to workwith clay, the notes of the scale, keep your feet parallel in dance movement, etc.)QuestionsWhat happens if you water the clay too much?Is this oil or a watercolour painting?If you want a light, graceful form, what material should you use?How did Van Gogh get the thick texture in this painting?
Craftsmanship and technical skills/criticism, quality of execution, i.e. craftsmanshipand technical skills-the ability of the artist, mastery of medium or art form; criticism,
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quality of execution-how well the artist performed (skill, use of materials,interpretation).Does the artist know his or her craft? Does the artist know how to use the medium?This category deals with talent and performance. These are areas that a critic couldbest analyse, although a generalist can in turn read the critic's opinion and agree ordisagree. Generalists can also feel comfortable in using the aesthetic concepts tocomment on the artist and his or her expertise to give the students a basis for higherskills of criticism. Teachers can use simple terms to comment on student work, i.e.'Johnny certainly mixed the colours well' is more appropriate than 'You did a goodjob!' technical elements can also be used in developing the skills of the student in theart form.Polar pairs skilled/unskilled; expert/amateur; well/poorly; graceful/clumsy;talented/untalented; dextrous/bungling; proficient/not proficientQuestionsHow did the artist make the painting look like a photograph?Can you see how delicately she shaded the trees?Look at this picture. Can you see the artist's attention to detail?Notice how well the colors are blended.
Expressive elementsExpressive elements include perception of feelings, meanings, and values in works ofart.
Mood and emotional states, i.e. perceived impression or atmosphere suggested by awork of art; the art object expresses a mood or an emotion. The important distinctionis not how the art work makes you feel, but rather what you think the artist was tryingto show, convey or express.Emotion refers to a state of feeling the art object expresses. Mood refers to consciousstate of mind or predominant emotion, a general feeling, often natural phenomena(e.g. eerie mood) and events (e.g. carnival).The use of imagery is important. Personification, metaphors and similes are keyfactors (the technical teaching of these items is not implied): personification-'Thepainting is confused'; metaphor-'The music is a sunrise'; simile-'The dancer looks likea machine'. Another way to stimulate imagery is to use sensory language: "The musicsounds sour'; 'She looks sweet'. Questions which encourage students to imagine orinterpret the unexpected are valuable: 'What would happen if the robber gave back themoney?'; 'How did he feel then?'What makes art expressive can be analysed in terms of the other Broudy categories.For example, a painting or landscape can appear tranquil and peaceful because of softcolour, flowing rhythm, curved lines and subtle textures.Polar pairs Happy/sad; angry/calm; fearful/confident; eerie/cheery;friendly/unfriendly; tranquil/stormy; angry/peaceful; shy/bold; eager/hesitant;lonely/crowded; mean/kind; festive/sombre; joyous/depressed; cheerful/mournful
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QuestionsDoes the painting appear confused or confident?Can you tell me why the sculpture seems friendly?Does the man in this picture want to be alone?
Dynamic states, i.e. energy level, implies movement or change, something peoplecan physically do. Changing an energy level as in 'relax', but not peaceful (one can't'peace'-peace is an atmosphere). Again, distinguishing the dynamic state leads to theexploration of other perceptual categories.Polar pairs Fast/slow; loud/soft; exploding/fizzling; quick/slow; energetic/lethargic;nervous/relaxed; tense/relaxed; docile/forceful; lazy/vigorous; sudden/sustained;smooth/jumpy; light/heavy; abrupVfluid; lively/tired; retreating/advancing;restful/intense; strong/weak; aggressive/passive; healthy/frailQuestionsCan you point out the fast lines? The slow lines"Is this a strong picture? Explain.Are the colours nervous or relaxed?Does this sculpture look lazy or busy?
Character states, i.e. distinguishing quality, attribute, trait, ethical qualities appliedto animate or inanimate object(s). This differs from mood and emotional state,because it is a distinguishing quality, not a feeling.Polar pairs Noble/humble; evil/good; greedy/generous; hero/villain; brave/cowardly;pompous/meek; deceitful/truthful; charitable/stingy; proud/humiliated;dignified/undignified; honest/dishonest; stately/lowly; temperate/intemperateQuestionsDoes the character in the picture look evil?Why (expression, style)?Does the sculpture look heroic?Can you show me a dignified man in this painting?Why did he describe the pottery as honest (uncluttered lines, simple shape, strongcolor)?
Broudy's Aesthetic Concept Model
One of the key tenets of Broudy's philosophy is that the art experience is basic to thequality of life of the viewer, requiring a disciplined approach to its appreciation andanalysis. In the process, the viewer becomes a connoisseur of art.
Within this framework: appreciating an object because it has qualities prescribed by
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theory as essential to exemplary art works. In comparison, judgment is informed by aset of concepts that are defined by a reference group of experts, who are the architectsparticipating in our research.
This set of concepts will not develop spontaneously or incidentally, Broudy argues,but must be cultivated, and our sensory perception is the key. Perception is seen as thenexus between making images and the critical appreciation of them. On the one hand,it guides the making of expressive images and on the other it is the basis for informedjudgments about the aesthetic merits of such images.
Broudy emphasises the development of the imagination, with emphasis much more oncognitive imagining. As a part of all thinking, the imagination is seen to provideconceptual structure, model and metaphor. Its development can be particularly wellserved through the visual arts, as well as through dance, drama, music and literature.Its development has a central place in aesthetic education.
The model depends upon a balance of two modes of teaching and learning: theperceptual skills of looking, listening and discerning; and the creative skills ofexperimentation with and manipulation of various arts media: 'Only by relating whatis created and expressed to what is the perceived and imagined can a program in thearts truly be called aesthetic' (Broudy 1972).
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Appendix 'B'
The buildings' exteriors included in this research (Source: the researcher)
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Appendix 'C'
Exteriors Elements and their Descriptions
Exterior 1 (No. 7) A Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones Yellow Stone & ClearGlass
Shapes Geometric: Rectangular
Lines Straight: Vertical
Dark & Light Transparent Glazing
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Smooth, Regular
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Symmetrical
Umniah Simple/Complex Complex
Location:OrganizationPrinciples Balance, Unity
Queen Nour Street Contrast & Interest
Proportion & Size
FOR
MA
L
Unity & Coherence
Properties of Bldg.Materials
Heavy (Stone), Light(Glass)
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TEC
HN
ICA
L
Quality of Execution Good
Mood Properties Honest
Emotional Properties Eager
Dynamic Properties Lively
Character State Brave
EX
PRE
SSIVE
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Exterior 2 (No. 14) A Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones White Stone & Bluish GreyGlass
Shapes Geometric: Rectangular
Lines Straight: Vertical
Dark & Light Dark Glazing with LightFraming
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Smooth, Regular
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Symmetrical
Deloitte Simple/Complex Complex
Location:OrganizationPrinciples Balance, Unity
Zahran Street Contrast & Interest Contrast
Proportion & Size Proportional
FOR
MA
L
Unity & Coherence Coherent
Properties of Bldg.Materials
Light Stone Framing & DarkGlazing
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Good
Mood Properties Formal
Emotional Properties Tranquil
Dynamic Properties Relaxed
Character State Dignified
EX
PRE
SSIVE
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Exterior 3 (No. 16) A Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones White Stone & Blue Glass
Shapes Geometric: Rectangular
Lines Straight: Vertical
Dark & Light Dark Glazing with Light Framing
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Smooth, Regular
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Symmetrical
Arab Bank Simple/Complex Complex
Location:OrganizationPrinciples Balance, Unity
Zahran Street Contrast & Interest Contrast
Proportion & Size ProportionalFO
RM
AL
Unity & Coherence Coherent
Properties of Bldg.Materials
Light Stone Framing & DarkGlazing
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Good
Mood Properties Formal
Emotional Properties Tranquil
Dynamic Properties Relaxed
Character State Dignified
EX
PRE
SSIVE
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Exterior 4 (No. 22) A Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones White Stone & Blue Glass
Shapes Geometric: Rectangular
Lines Straight: Vertical
Dark & Light Dark Glazing with Light Framing
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Smooth, Regular
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Symmetrical
Fastlink Simple/Complex Complex
Location:OrganizationPrinciples Balance, Unity
King Abullah II St. Contrast & Interest Contrast
Proportion & Size Proportional
FOR
MA
LUnity & Coherence Coherent
Properties of Bldg.Materials
Light Stone Framing & DarkGlazing
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Good
Mood Properties Formal
Emotional Properties Tranquil
Dynamic Properties Relaxed
Character State Dignified
EX
PRE
SSIVE
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Exterior 1 (No. 6) B Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones Light, Neutral and Dark Grey
Shapes Rectangles, Squares & Curves
Lines Straight: (Horizontals & Vertical)& Curves
Dark & Light Clear Distinction: Light-Dark-Light
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Roughness thru. Layering &Ornaments
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Asymmetrical
Maani Simple/Complex Complex & rich in Details
Location:OrganizationPrinciples
By Difference or Exception & bySize
Queen Nour Street Contrast & Interest Sharp Contrast. Large DarkSurfaces make Interest
Proportion & Size Harmonic Proportions. Partswithin Wholes
FOR
MA
L
Unity & Coherence Multiple & Alternating Rhythm
Properties of Bldg.Materials
Lightness thru. Aluminum &Stone & Heaviness thru. DarkGlazing
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Necessary
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Excellent
Mood Properties Stimulating & Vibrant
Emotional Properties Arousing/ drawing Attention
Dynamic Properties Yes in many directions
Character State Complex
EX
PRE
SSIVE
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Exterior 2 (No. 23) B Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones Light, Neutral and Dark Grey
Shapes Rectangles & Squares
Lines Straight: (Horizontals &Vertical)
Dark & Light Clear Distinction: Light-Dark-Light
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Roughness thru. Layering &Ornaments
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Asymmetrical
Global Health Simple/Complex Complex & rich in Details
Location:OrganizationPrinciples
Harmonic Proportions. Partswithin Wholes
King Abdulla IIStreet Contrast & Interest Sharp Contrast. Large Dark
Surfaces make Interest
Proportion & Size By Difference or Exception & bySize
FOR
MA
L
Unity & Coherence Multiple
Properties of Bldg.Materials Lightness& some Heaviness
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Very Good
Mood Properties Stimulating
Emotional Properties Drawing Attention
Dynamic Properties Moving In & Out
Character State Multiple
EX
PRE
SSIVE
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Exterior 3 (No. 11) B Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones Light, Neutral and Dark Grey
Shapes Rectangles, Squares & Curves
Lines Straight: (Horizontals &Vertical) & Curves
Dark & Light Clear Distinction: Light-Dark-Light
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Roughness thru. Layering &Ornaments
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Asymmetrical
Marriott HQ Simple/Complex Complex & Detailed
Location:OrganizationPrinciples
Harmonic Proportions. Partswithin Wholes
Queen Nour Street Contrast & Interest Sharp Contrast. Large DarkSurfaces make Interest
Proportion & Size By Difference or Exception &by Size
FOR
MA
LUnity & Coherence Multiple
Properties of Bldg.Materials Lightness& some Heaviness
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Is Necessary
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Very Good
Mood Properties Stimulating
Emotional Properties Arousing
Dynamic Properties Yes in many directions
Character State Multiple & Complex
EXPR
ESSIV
E
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Exterior 4 (No. 27) B Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones Light, Neutral and Dark Grey
Shapes Rectangles & Round
Lines Straight: (Horizontals &Vertical) & Curves
Dark & Light Clear Distinction: Light-Dark-Light
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Roughness thru. Layering &Ornaments
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Asymmetrical
Riyadh Investment Simple/Complex Complex & Detailed
Location:OrganizationPrinciples
Harmonic Proportions. Partswithin Wholes
Arar Street Contrast & Interest Sharp Contrast. Large DarkSurfaces make Interest
Proportion & Size By Difference or Exception &by Size
FOR
MA
L
Unity & Coherence Multiple
Properties of Bldg.Materials Some Lightness& Heaviness
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Is Necessary
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Very Good
Mood Properties Stimulating
Emotional Properties Arousing
Dynamic Properties Moving Upward
Character State Multiple & Complex
EX
PRE
SSIVE
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Exterior 1 (N0. 12) C Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones Neutral Stone & and DarkGlass
Shapes Geometric: Rectangular
Lines Slanted Surfaces: Vertical &Horizontal
Dark & Light Great Distinction betweenDark Glazing & Light Stone
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Textured thru. Griding &Layering
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Symmetrical
Stone & Glass Bldg. Simple/Complex Simple
Location: Organization Principles Layering, Symmetry& Axial
Isam Al-Ajlouni Contrast & Interest Contrast between Two Parts
Proportion & Size Two Parts: the Dark isDominant in Size
FOR
MA
LUnity & Coherence Through Dominance of Dark
Surface & ColorProperties of Bldg.Materials
Light (Stone) & Heavy(Glass)
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Excellent
Mood Properties Curious
Emotional Properties Tranquil/ Abstract
Dynamic Properties Slanted Glass ForwardMoving
Character State Mystic
EX
PRE
SSIVE
-140-
Exterior 2 (N0. 29) C Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones Neutral Stone & and DarkGlass
Shapes Geometric: Rectangles &Squares
Lines Vertical & Horizontal Lines
Dark & Light Great Distinction betweenDark Glazing & Light Stone
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Textured thru. Griding &Layering
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Symmetrical
Stonebase Bldg. Simple/Complex Simple
Location: Organization Principles Layering, Symmetry& Axial
Arar Contrast & Interest Contrast between Two Parts:Base & Body
Proportion & Size Two Parts: the Dark isDominant in Size
FOR
MA
LUnity & Coherence Through Dominance of Dark
Surface & ColorProperties of Bldg.Materials Light (Stone) & Heavy (Glass)
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Excellent
Mood Properties Curious
Emotional Properties Settled/ Abstract
Dynamic Properties Moving Upward
Character State Mystic
EXPR
ESSIV
E
-141-
Exterior 3 (N0. 26) C Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones Neutral Stone & and DarkGlass
Shapes Geometric: Rectangles &Squares
Lines Vertical & Horizontal Lines
Dark & Light Great Distinction betweenDark Glazing & Light Stone
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Textured thru. Griding &Layering
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Symmetrical
SITTCO Group Simple/Complex Simple
Location: Organization Principles Layering, Symmetry& Axial
Arar Contrast & Interest Contrast between Two Parts:Base & Body
Proportion & Size Two Parts: the Dark isDominant in Size
FOR
MA
LUnity & Coherence Through Dominance of Dark
Surface & ColorProperties of Bldg.Materials
Light (Stone) & Heavy(Glass)
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Very Good
Mood Properties Curious
Emotional Properties Abstract
Dynamic Properties Moving Upward & Forward
Character State Mystic
EXPR
ESSIV
E
-142-
Exterior 4 (N0. 20) C Exterior Elements and their Description
Colors and Tones White Stone & and Dark Glass
Shapes Geometric: Rectangular
Lines Vertical & Horizontal Lines
Dark & Light Great Distinction betweenDark Glazing & Light Stone
SEN
SOR
Y
Texture Textured thru. Griding &Layering
Bldg. Name: Symmetry/Asymmetry Symmetrical
Arab Telemedia Simple/Complex Simple
Location:OrganizationPrinciples Layering, Symmetry& Axiality
King Faisal BinAbdel Azeez Contrast & Interest Contrast between Two Parts
Proportion & Size Two Parts: the Dark isDominant in Size
FOR
MA
LUnity & Coherence Through Dominance of Dark
Surface & ColorProperties of Bldg.Materials Light (Stone) & Heavy (Glass)
Craftsmanship Proficient
Technical skills Skilled
TE
CH
NIC
AL
Quality of Execution Excellent
Mood Properties Curious
Emotional Properties Abstract
Dynamic Properties Moving Forward
Character State Mystic
EXPR
ESSIV
E
-143-
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