Proportion and scale

Proportion
• Proportion is a central principle of architectural
theory. It is the visual effect of the relationships
of the various objects and spaces that make up a
structure to one another and to the whole.
• Artists in each major art period used size and
proportion in their own way. How size and
proportion has been used in an art work can help
identify a specific period of time , culture, or
artistic style.
• The two most important factors in the design of
a building are Form and Function. Functionality
is the most important aspect of building design.
The other aspect is building form or aesthetics.
• Aesthetic components of Architecture also deal
with the Proportions of the structure…
• Proportion is the geometric relationship of the sides of
volumes (e.g., rectangles). It is also the ratio or comparative
size of individual parts of the composition. We cannot
measure these relationships accurately by eye, but we can
compare them and try to judge the relationship of one part to
another on a proportional basis.
• The relationship between solid (walls, roofs, etc.) and void
(windows and other openings) structural units is very
important inorder to form a good composition.
• Proportions deal with the masses and the spaces. The primary
properties of mass are height, width and depth. Proportion is
the visual relationship of these properties with respect to each
other. The observer does not see these as an individual but as
an entire mass. Any mass can be identified by the geometric
shape and the dimension of the form.
 The relationships
between the sizes
of different parts
of a work make
up its proportions
 By controlling
Lip
these size
relationships an
artist can Hip
enhance the Height
expressive and Width
descriptive
A B C
characteristics of
the work
Foot

Examples of how proportion changes on

vertical and horizontal axes
What is Proportion in Architecture?
• The English author Henry Wotton translated
‘de Architectura’, which was written by Roman
architect
• Vitruvius in 1624, and interpreted Vitruvius’
three conditions of a good building to be
commodity(usefulness), firmness (solidity or
strength) and delight (beauty).
• Proportion plays an important role in all three,
as it provides guidelines for laying out useful
spaces, for designing structural systems, and
for creating an aesthetically pleasing
environment.
• The proportions of a space can dramatically
change how visitors feel in it, and the
proportions of a facade design can affect
whether a building appears welcoming
threatening, or impressive.
There are three factors of proportion:
• 1. Material Proportion:
• 2. Structural Proportion: In the construction of
buildings, structural elements such as beams and
slabs are required to span over spaces and
transmit their loads through vertical supports.
Again, dimensional proportions play their role in
restricting the height, width and depth of these
structural elements under a given load condition.
Checking Structural Proportions involve:
• 1. Checking beam design
• 2. Checking beam design for deflection
• 3. Manufactured Proportion: Many architectural elements have a
size and proportion not only because of their structural properties
but also as a result of their process by which they are manufactured.
As these elements are mass produced in factories, they have standard
sizes and proportions decided by the individual manufacturer or
industry standards.
• Concrete block and common brick, for example, are produced as
modular building blocks. Although they differ from each other in
size, they are proportioned on a similar basis.
• Plywood and covering material are manufactured as modular units
with a fixed proportion. Steel sections have fixed proportions which
are decided by ISO standards and steel manufacturers.
• Windows and doors have proportions which are set by the
manufacturer. These manufactured materials should fit perfectly
with the other materials being used in the construction, as they affect
the overall size, proportion and spacing of a unit of construction,
such as a wall having doors and windows.
 Scale
• Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of the model to the
same dimension of the original.
• Without consideration of scale, in particular, human scale, our
everyday activities would be more difficult. Scale refers to the
relationship between two or more objects, one that has a
commonly known size. In most cases, the size of objects is
compared to our own human scale.
• We can find examples of this in our homes and workplaces; for
instance, standardized heights have been created for
countertops, chairs have been scaled to fit our bodies, the widths
of hallways allow for people to comfortably pass one another.
You can see that the way we build our environment is based on
the commonly known anthropometric data of human scale.
The application of contrasting colour
and texture on the ceiling, walls, and
floor, as well as the incorporation of
low horizontal furniture could lead
to this room feeling out of scale;
however, designer masterfully
counterbalanced this effect by
repeating and lowing the horizontal
light fixtures.
Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man illustrates the ratios of
the dimensions of the human body; a human
figure is often used to illustrate the scale of
architectural or engineering drawings.

Vitruvian Man
Human Proportion scale

• Carefully chosen proportion can make an art object

seem pleasing to the eye
• This goes for the human body, too
• The ancient Egyptians used the palm of the hand as
a unit of measurement
• The ancient Greeks sought an ideal of beauty in the
principle of proportion
• The models used by the Greeks for calculating
human proportion were later adopted by artists of
ancient Rome, and then by Renaissance artists
4 fingers = 1 palm

6 palms = 1 cubit 4 cubits = 1 man’s height

[24 palms]
Golden section.
• The Golden Section is a proportional ratio of
1:1.618, which occurs in many natural objects
• Real human bodies do not have exactly these
proportions, but when the ratio 1:1.618 is applied
to making statues, it gives naturalistic results
• The proportions of Ancient Greek sculptures are
often very close to the Golden Section.
• As a Greek god,
Poseidon had to have
perfect proportions
• The sculptor applied
a conveniently
simple ratio, using
the head as a
standard
measurement
• The body is three
heads wide by seven
heads high
Ictinus and Calibrates, Parthenon
 By applying the idealized
rules of proportion for the
human body to the design
of the Parthenon, a temple
of the goddess Athena, the
Greeks created a
harmonious design
 The proportions
correspond quite closely
to the Golden Section
 The vertical and
horizontal measurements
work together to create
proportional harmony
 Triglyphs
Pediment
 Conclusion
 When proportion conforms to scale, all the parts of the work look
the way we expect them to
 Scale and proportion are basic to most works; size choices
influence all the other elements and principles in the design