When builders think about siding,
they tend to focus on things
like water-shedding ability, installation
details, and ease of maintenance. And
despite what you might think, those
things also matter to most architects.
But siding can also be a powerful
design element. Depending on how it’s
used, it can break a large uninteresting
mass into several smaller areas that are
visually more interesting, tie disconnected
elements together, or change the
way a building fits into the topography
of its site.
Massing with Siding
The architectural term “massing”
refers to a building’s basic exterior form,
or how a given elevation presents itself
to the eye. The goal of effective massing
is to create a pleasant and varied elevation,
one that is