The three-dimensional composition of a building's overall form and volume, including how different parts relate to create the building's silhouette and spatial presence. It's the art of arranging architectural volumes in space.
From Old French 'masse' (lump, bulk), entering architectural vocabulary in the 19th century as architects became more conscious of buildings as sculptural objects in space rather than just functional containers.
Louis Kahn was a master of massing - his Salk Institute breaks the building into distinct geometric volumes that step down toward the Pacific Ocean, creating a composition that feels both monumental and organic. Good massing makes a building readable from far away, telling you about its internal organization just from its external form.
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