Remodeling Guides
Architecture
Architect's Toolbox: Scale and Proportion
Designing with proportions found in nature make your space feel more comfortable
Another tool in the architect's toolbox is "scale and proportion." This refers to how the individual parts of a building relate to each other and to how the overall building relates to its site and to people.
Note that scale doesn't necessarily mean size. A house can be quite large while still having an intimate, or human, scale. The reverse is true as well. A small home can live quite grandly with the use of some oversized elements, layered spaces, and other design features.
Getting the proportions "right" is something that architects and designers strive for. While some do this intuitively, others use systems such as the golden ratio, a proportional system found in nature (most famously the Nautilus shell) and in music.
Though most of us don't realize it, we all come into contact with the golden ratio (also known as the golden section or golden mean) several times a day when we turn a light on or off or plug something into an electrical outlet. That's because the dimensions of the typical electrical cover plate are based on golden-section proportions. So the next time you switch on a light make a note that you're coming into contact with a proportional system that was used to design the Greek temples and Gothic cathedrals. Kind of cool, isn't it?
Note that scale doesn't necessarily mean size. A house can be quite large while still having an intimate, or human, scale. The reverse is true as well. A small home can live quite grandly with the use of some oversized elements, layered spaces, and other design features.
Getting the proportions "right" is something that architects and designers strive for. While some do this intuitively, others use systems such as the golden ratio, a proportional system found in nature (most famously the Nautilus shell) and in music.
Though most of us don't realize it, we all come into contact with the golden ratio (also known as the golden section or golden mean) several times a day when we turn a light on or off or plug something into an electrical outlet. That's because the dimensions of the typical electrical cover plate are based on golden-section proportions. So the next time you switch on a light make a note that you're coming into contact with a proportional system that was used to design the Greek temples and Gothic cathedrals. Kind of cool, isn't it?
1. Articulate the pieces of a large house. This large home is broken into distinct pieces, each with its own roof, to give it a less overwhelming scale or presence. The materials, colors and proportions tie the different sections together. Both the color and shape of the house also tie it into the surrounding hills and landscaping.
2. Make a statement in the landscape. A house in a field or other vast expanse of space should have a presence. So give it a size and scale that relates to that large open space and use a bold color or architectural details to emphasize its presence.
3. Change the scale as you get closer to the house. Having the house relate to the size of a person walking up to the door makes it more comfortable to approach. Rather than keeping everything large or grandly overwhelming, scale down the size of the architectural details and compress the space between them so there's a direct correlation between the size of our bodies and the scale of the house.
4. Use a proportional system to establish dimensions. The ceiling height and room width of this design were determined using the golden section, a proportional system that's been used for thousands of years. Because it is found in nature, it is generally considered to have the most pleasing proportions.
This is the finished room, with everything from the ceiling height and location of the crown molding to the dimensions of the brick headboard wall based on golden section dimensional rules. Though a large room, the scale and proportions still feel comfortable, not overwhelming.
5. Use furniture and finishes to keep a human scale. The fireplace, seating arrangement and area rug provide an intimate setting in what is quite a large room with a tall ceiling. It's akin to the idea of gathering around the campfire in the wide open outdoors.
6. Achieve a grand scale with oversize elements. Though this is probably not a very large room, the scale is quite grand due to the vaulted ceiling and large chimney mass as well as the size and rhythm of the balustrade. The hints to the spaces beyond also gives the room a grandness it would otherwise lack.
7. Use trim rail to reduce the perceived ceiling height. A picture rail at the door head height reduces the perceived ceiling height to make a more comfortable and cozy room. This is an especially useful detail when there's a tall ceiling and you want to avoid the feeling of being in the bottom of a Dixie cup.
8. Maintain the existing scale when adding on. Though there are times when the addition should be distinct from the original, keeping an addition in scale with the original house prevents a jarring "look at me" result. The materials palette from original is repeated in the addition, so there's a quiet blending in of old and new.
More from the Architect's Toolbox:
Hallways that Shine
Finding the Space Between
Beautifully Layered Spaces
More from the Architect's Toolbox:
Hallways that Shine
Finding the Space Between
Beautifully Layered Spaces