Expert: John Henry Architect - 12/23/2007

Question
hi. i am a student doing architecture course in India presently in 4th year. recently i we had been done a design exercise on housing. it went good but the main problem i had faced was in elevations. im a kinda weak in designing elevations. can you tell me some basic and ideas of how to design nice elevations for housing or for any sort of building. and can u send me some samples for them.

secondly i would like to ask you how can we compare a group housing vs. plotted division housing?  

Answer
This is an issue concerning the basic craft of elevation design.  The geometry of each facade on a building is largely determined by the floor layout.  Before even starting the plans however, one has to decide what style of architecture is appropriate for the development. The particular style you select should then be kept in mind at the outset of designing the floor layouts.
Each style of architecture has a general plan geometry.  For example, Renaissance architecture is generally symmetrical, so the plans need to start out that way.  Contemporary architecture, or Modern, has a freer geometry which actually allows several variations in the elevations.  Are the buildings to look uniform in your housing development?  Normally you would want to make the streetscape more interesting and individualize each unit.  You should then consider each 'block' or grouping and decide how to assemble the units together for a workable, functional and aesthetically pleasing arrangement.  Mixing second floor roof heights and bearing points, and altering the massing is recommended.
We used to talk about proportions in architecture but the current academic approach is to ensure function first and theoretically if it is 'solved' then form comes naturally.  This is not the case though as you have to think in three dimensions while the floor plans are being created.  
In classical architecture the study of proportions was very critical and the assembly of building mass with axis was essential to every design.
For your second question I assume you mean attached vs. detached housing.  I was speaking primarily of the first type above.  For single family detached houses the same basic process should be used as the former case.  
Corbusier had a modular system that was based on the proportions of the human body.  The Greeks had first established a method of architectural proportions.  Field theory grids have been used to lay out buildings as well.  A rambling floor plan also means difficult roof intersections, especially on pitched roofs but easier to manage on flat ones.  Keep energy use, solar orientation and prevailing winds in mind as well.  Buildings from one latitude to another should have a different form as well as cultural cues and regional styles.
You can find samples of my own work for detached housing here: www.dreamhomedesignusa.com.  You can find a couple of samples of attached multifamily housing at our commercial web: www.floridarchitect.com
I would consult a major library in your area or an internet search for specific styles and observe the typical form and detailing.

For U.S. housing see:
A Field Guide to American Houses, Virginia & Lee McAlester, 1996 Knopf
What Style is it?, Poppeliers Chambers Schwartz, 1983 John Wiley & Sons
House Styles in America, Massey and Maxwell, 1996 Penguin

Other good sources:
Matters of Proportion, Richard Marlitt, 1989 Oregon Historical Society Press
The Good House: Contrast as a Design Tool, Jacobson, Silverstein and Winslow, Taunton Press
Building Facades, Ernest Burden, 1998 McGraw Hill
The Book of Houses, John P. Dean and Simon Breines, 1946 Crown Publishers
Flight of Fancy: The Banishment and Return of Ornament, Brent C. Brolin, 1985 Academy Editions
Modernity and the Classical Tradition, Alan Colquhoun, 1989 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Period Style, Mary Gilliatt, 1990 Little, Brown and Company