Hierarchy

The principle of hierarchy states that in most if not all architectural

compositions, real difference exist among their forms and spaces. These
differences reflect the degree of importance of these forms and spaces as
well as the functional formal and symbolic role they play.

Visual emphasis in architectural

composition can be achieved by
endowing a form or shape with:
1. Exceptional size
2. Unique shape
3. Strategic location

Hierarchy by size
A form or space may dominate an architectural composition by being
significantly different in size from all
the other elements in the
composition. Normally, this
dominance is made visible by the
sheer size of an element. In some
cases, an element can dominate by
being significantly smaller than the
other elements in the organization but
placed in a well-defined setting.

Hierarchy by shape
A form or shape can be made visually
dominant and thus important by
clearly differentiating its shape from
that of the other elements in the
composition. A discernible contrast in
shape is critical, whether the
differentiation is based on a change in
geometry or regularity. Ofcourse,it is
also important that the shape selected
for the hierarchically significant
element can br compatible with its
functional use

Hierarchy by placement
a form or space may be strategically
placed to call attention to itself as
being the most important element in a
composition. Hierarchically important
locations for a form or space include:
The termination of a linear
sequence or axial organization
The centerpiece of a symmetrical
organization
The focus of a centralized or
radial organization
Being offset above, below, or in the foreground of a composition

Vehicular Movement:

Pedestrian movement plays an important role in locating structures. In an

institute,for example students and faculty must be able to walk between
buildings and other institute faciltites.
To develop safe, comfortable an interesting circulation paths, it is
necessary to simultaneously consider function,topography,climate
and visual perception.
These paths should provide clear definition to prevent pedestrians
from getting lost.

Vehicular Areas Guidelines

Vehicular areas, address roadways and parking for cars, emergency
vehicles, service vehicles, bicycles, and mass transit
Enhance existing streets throughout campus for safer multi-modal
movement and improved appearance utilizing surfacing, lighting,
signage, bicycle parking, and site accessories.
Recognize that campus policy is to give pedestrians and bicycles
priority over service and private vehicles in multi-modal areas.

Provide facilities and amenities to encourage alternative means of

travel to and from campus, such as information kiosks, bus shelters,
maps, and visitor directions.

Place generously-sized bicycle parking areas along multi-modal

streets and near campus activity centers and student residence halls
and courts.

Orient bus shelters to allow sufficient views of arriving buses and to

provide shelter from prevailing winter winds and snow. Include seating,
trash receptacles, bus schedules, and brightly lit interiors. Use vandal
resistant materials including break-resistant glazing and coated black
steel structure and roof.

 Establish drop-off zones near major

activity centers for convenient use.
Provide seating for waiting,
attractive landscaping, emergency
telephones, and adequate lighting
Provide landscaping in and around
parking lots to soften hardscape
appearances from streets, break
up extended rows of cars, and
provide shade. Ensure adequate
lighting for safe use and clear
pathways from parking lots to
adjacent building entrances.
Design sufficient setbacks between
parking lots and streets, which
could include raised landscaping,
berms, and/or walls to block views
into the lot.

 Include loading and service vehicle parking spaces adjacent to major

buildings. Screen or buffer views to service areas where possible with
a combination of screen walls, opaque enclosures, gates, and
landscaping. Limit service parking to designated spaces only.
Provide raised curbs selectively along campus walkways to discourage
all modes of transportation from crossing or parking on lawns or
adjacent landscaping

Lighting
Following is a list of seven basic terms for
description of the light in the space by the
visual experience:
level of lightness
spatial distribution of brightness
shadows
reflections
glare
color of light
colors
Using these terms, it is effective to describe
and understand the effects of lighting in a
space and to make a reliable classification. Shadows, for example, play an
important role to our observation. They can be soft or strong; they can
present sharp or diffused borders. Good shadows are pleasant to see, but
bad shadows can destroy the ambience. The colors of the materials are also
responsible to change the atmosphere. This issue should be designed from
the beginning and not after the whole architectural process. Below, it is
possible to see an example of how the Japanese architect Tadao Ando plans
color, affecting positively the space he designs and also how the level of
brightness is thought for his conceptual chapel work.
Lighting has several function in institutes: to provide safe and secure
environment; to illuminateares used at dawn and dusk, and in the dark; to
make visible the signs and signals and to accent buildings,greenery and
related landscape elements.

The design should take care of the following regulations which directly
affect the lighting required for proper visibility inside the work area:
1.The display screen equipment shall be free from disturbing glare and
reflections
2.There shall be an appropriate contrast between the screen and the
background
3.Adjustable coverings shall be provided for the windows

How much lighting is enough?

Different sources of illumination vary significantly with respect to the quality
of light they provide. This, in turn, has a dramatic effect upon the
appearance and safety of the street at night. High-pressure sodium, the
light source typically used in city street-light fixtures, casts a yellowishorange glow that results in poor color rendition; it compromises visual clarity
and detracts enormously from the overall quality of the nighttime urban
environment. By contrast, metal halide as a light source produces a soft,
white glow that renders color accurately; it offers better visual clarity,
improves reaction time for vehicles, and requires less wattage for the same
perceived visibility. Quality of light is also influenced by quantity of light
or more specifically, by the relationship between the brightness of a light
and ones distance from it. Light becomes more diffuse farther away from
the source, so for a given brightness, there is a range of heights within
which the source should be located to create the desired quality of light.
Height of the luminaire: Although luminaire mounting heights have
typically increased over the past few decades as lamp technology has
allowed for higher and brighter road lights, the result is often lighting
designed for the car or the parking lot, not for the person walking on the
side of the street. Reducing the luminaires height, and adjusting it to the
scale of the person on the sidewalk, calls for more fixtures, which in turn
means that the luminaires, the poles, and their placement can have an
impact on the streetscape.
Type and wattage: However, as a luminaires height is lowered, the lamps
brightness must be adjusted so that is does not create excessive glare for

pedestrians. At the same time, the wattage must also be capable of

adequately lighting the road. For instance, 9-foot luminaires might be
augmented with overhead lights because, depending on the street width,
the wattage needed to light the street would create a blinding glare for the
pedestrian.

How far should lights be placed?

In addition to the height of the light source, appropriate spacing of light
fixtures is critical to achieving consistent illumination of streets and
sidewalks, and to preventing the pedestrian from encountering intervals of
darkness. Consistent light coverage is important, particularly along the
sidewalk, because the perception of light is relative to its surroundings.
Therefore, a poorly lit area will seem so much darker in contrast to a
brightly lit area nearby.
The minimum required space between lights might meet lighting standards,
but may or may not achieve the desired effect. For example, a typical DOT
lighting scheme for an average street 40 in width (two traffic and two
parking lanes) would have 25 to 40 cobra head lights every 125-150,
staggered on either side of the street. An alternative to this vehicle-oriented
scheme is to reduce the height of the fixtures to 13 and place them every
50 and opposite each other.

Some important points related to lighting:

Windows should be equipped with means to prevent the interference of
sunlight
Walls and ceiling should be light in colour
Catwalks are necessary for servicing the ceiling lights,spotlights and
net
The quality of light in students room is determined by the quality and
brightness of both the light source and general surroundings. High

illumination levels are appropriate to study;lower levels to social

functions
The brightness contrast between the work and its surroundungs must
be at its minimum
In classrooms,an average ratio of 1:1 between writing surface
brightness and screen brightness should be maintained while not
spilling the excessive ambient light on the screen
For a medium to large size room,three lighting levels would be in the
range of:
5-10 : projected TV and films
10-20 : slides
30+ : other class activities
Limit or protect the views of extremely bright exterior surfaces, such as
parked cars and large paving or sand areas. The reflected glare from
these surfaces can be visually uncomfortable.
When using an interior shade, select a light-color shade to minimize
heat gain.

Unilateral lighting from side openings will, in general, be unsatisfactory

if the effective
width of the room is more than 2 to 2.5 times the distance from the
floor to the top of
the opening.
Openings on two opposite sides will give greater uniformity of internal
daylight illumination,
especially when the room is 7 m or more across

Lighting system for lecture halls

Lighting in large lecture halls is a particularly critical element, not only
because of the
increase in the use of technology in teaching, but also because of the lack of
natural light
typically available in these facilities.
Because lecture halls often have high ceilings, the design of the ceiling
lighting should
recognize the need to regularly change lamps. Lamp-changing is often
difficult in a facility

which may be heavily used and which may require special equipment to
reach the high ceilings.

Lighting for computer labs and classrooms

In a computer lab, good overall lighting that does not create glare on
screens is needed. In
a computer classroom, use the same general principles as with other
classrooms but with the additional need to prevent glare on computer
screens. If a video recording
system is planned for a computer classroom, higher light levels are needed
for the cameras

Zoning
An institute
broadly
the following
1.

can be
divided into
zones:
Academic

zone
2.

Residential
zone

3.
4.
5.
6.

Recreational zone
Arrival zone
Athletic zone
Administrative zone

Map showing various zones of an institute and their connectivity

Offices:
Spaces required by the computer personnel, in addition to the preparation
areas just described, include offices, conference rooms, library, and lounge
or refreshment corner . Private offices are needed where people working on
problems can concentrate without interruption on the complicated series of
steps necessary to program a problem. Offices for computer personnel
should include the same essentials as for mathematics professors, namely,
a desk, chairs, bookshelving, telephone, and adequate chalkboard on at
least one wall . Regular staff members of a computer center should not only
have individual offices where they can work without distraction but also a
staff lounge where they can get together to exchange ideas and charge
their mental batteries
The application of the following considerations will assist the space planner
to attain functional effectiveness in the final layout:
1 . Employees performing close work should be in the best-lighted areas .
Glaring surfaces
which affect vision should be identified and corrected .
2 . Clothes lockers in an office layout are out of date and wasteful . Large
rooms or open
areas should be provided with hanging space for coats and shelves for hats,
packages, and
other material . Space not suitable for work stations should be used
whenever possible .
3 . Heavy equipment generally should be placed against walls or columns in
order to avoid floor overloading .
4 . Be safety conscious . Do not obstruct exits, corridors, or stairways .
Comply with fire safety codes governing aisles, exits, etc .
5 . Where frequent interviews with the general public are required, as in
personnel offices,
the use of interview cubicles should be considered . Such cubicles need only
be large enough
for the interviewer, the applicant, and a small desk or table .
6 . In operations which require employees to work away from their office,
with only infrequent
visits there to file reports, ate ., consideration should be given to assigning
two or more employees to each desk . Other considerations include the
provision of 45-in . desks

and the use of common work tables, with the assignment of file cabinet
drawers to each
employee in which to keep papers, etc .

Circulation
This is the area required to conveniently permit ingress and egress to work
stations . The size of an aisle should be governed by the amount of traffic it
bears . The following standards with regard to internal circulation will be
applied in space planning surveys :
1 . Aisles leading to main exits from areas which carry substantial traffic
(main aisles)
should be 60 in . wide .
2 . Aisles which carry a moderate amount of traffic (intermediate aisles)
should be 48
in . wide .
3 . Aisles between rows of desks (secondary aisles) should be approximately
36 in . wide .

General layout of office:

Private and semi-private offices:

Layout showing location of offices:

Space relationship:

Bathrooms:
Activities commonly performed in the bathroom include washing of hands,
face, and hair, bathing, elimination, and grooming, and also such activities
as hand laundering and infant care. Often it is also used as a dressing
room . Major problems in bathroom design include planning for optimum
convenience and privacy of all bathroom functions for all members of the
household, adequate provision for storage of supplies and equipment, and
ease of cleaning . Some general planning guides are as follows ,

Arrangement
Facilities should be conveniently arranged, with special attention given to
clearances . The room arrangement shouldpermit more than one family
member to use its facilities at the same time.

Illumination
Lighting should be adequate for all of the activities performed . For
grooming, direct sources of light are essential in order to illuminate the face
from all angles . High strip windows, clerestory windows, and skylights
provide excellent over-all illumination in the daytime, while still affording
privacy . Luminous ceilings are also effective, particularly in interior
bathrooms .

Ventilation
Good ventilation is essential in bathrooms, both to reduce humidity and to
dispel odors . If a window is relied upon as the sole means of ventilation,
care should be taken in its selection and placement to minimize drafts and
to permit easy access . Exhaust fans in the wall or
ceiling are often used to supplement natural ventilation . In interior
bathroom spaces, a mechanical exhaust is, of course, essential . Sound
control Lack of acoustical privacy is one of the most common complaints
with regard to bathrooms . Noise can be reduced by proper placement of the
bathroom in relation to other spaces, by the use of closets and storage walls
as sound barriers between it and adjacent spaces, as well as by the use of
soundproof partitions and tightly fitted doors . Acoustical treatment of the
ceiling makes the room more comfortable to use and reduces somewhat the
amount of sound transmitted through the
walls. Acoustical tiles for use in the bathroom should be moisture resistant
and easily cleaned .

Auxiliary heat
A heat lamp or a radiant wall panel can be used to provide quick warmth in
the bathroom

Materials
It is essential that all surface material is used in the bathroom have
moisture-resistant finishes.