Figure and Ground
Design Studio E1, first year bachelor studies at the institute of urban design, University of Innsbruck
led by Daniel Köhler, Ingrid Hufnagl, 2011.
In classical architecture, the type is seen as a prototype of its possible application, whereas in other disciplines, the type is described as a typical artifact from a population. To this background, the classic archetypes of block, row, Villa and Matbuilding can be understood as singularities or better extremes of urban ensembles. Whereas the actual typical architectural object is to seek between these extremes. On the basis of explicit examples of a block development, a modernist row development, a residential estate and a Mat or Field Buildings, we develop a form matrix that shows all the Figure / Ground Relations, which lie between the archetypal urban forms and thus a city morphology correspond to true.
The design method can be referred to as Morphological method. This method relates to matters of form, but in particular on the genesis of forms. In urban design the morphological method is used to describe the form genesis of cities and is directly connected to architectural typology.
