32. Role of Authoritative Elements in Design

The importance of learning theories is that they expose the learner to a wide spectrum of ideas, thereby expanding the knowledge base while allowing the learners to experiment, analyze and internalize their observations. In all the study of design, the principles, factors and elements that comprise, modify and establish design can be summed into three categories, namely physical elements, modifying elements and authoritative elements. There are factors that physically comprise design, factors of ephemeral and intangible quality that modify design, and authoritative factors that root and establish design at a particular place in time. In most cases of theoretical analysis, there is a sense of looking backward—to the study of established facts and the principles that may be gleaned from the study. The authoritative elements, in particular, comprise the primary establishing elements which form the base for study. The word authority has its roots in the word “author” which means someone who has the power to bring something into existence and sustain it. With respect to design, it is these elements that bring richness to design or add the dimension of depth. The authoritative elements are history, typology and context. At the time of undertaking this research, there is no literature that comprehensively brings the elements of design together to enable place-making. However, such an endeavor would be hugely beneficial to the design community in terms of providing a framework, within which their design may be generated while also proving relevant to its time. The purpose of the research is to establish the impact of authoritative elements on form and space. The methodology of inquiry and research is through the literature study and survey questionnaire.