Proportion & Scale

Creating a sense of order and harmony among the elements in a visual construction is the purpose of all theories of proportions. The theories of proportion: Golden Section, Classical Orders, Renaissance Theories, Modular, Ken, Anthropometry, and Scale.

Golden Section

The Golden Section is defined as the ratio between two sections of a line, or the two dimensions of a plane. The lesser of the two is to the greater as the greater is to the sum of both. The Golden Section cannot only be found in architecture but also in many living organisms.

The Orders

The basic unit of dimension for the Classical Orders is the diameter of the column. The orders are not based on a unit of measurement but instead are used to ensure that all of the parts are proportionate and in harmony with each other.

Renaissance Theories

The architects of the Renaissance believed that their buildings had to belong to a higher order and so they returned to the Greek mathematical system of proportions. Using Pythagoras’ theory of means to ratios they developed a progression of ratios that formed the basis of proportions of their architecture.

The Modular

Developed by Le Corbusier, the Modular proportional system is based on both mathematics, such as the Golden Section, and on the proportions of the human body.

The “Ken”

Originally used to designate the interval between two columns , it soon became a standard for residential architecture., and an absolute measurement. It not only became a measurement for the construction of buildings but also evolved into an aesthetic module that ordered the structure, materials, and space of Japanese architecture.

Anthropomorphic

Anthropometry refers to the measurement of the size and proportion of the human body. The dimensions and proportions of the human body affect the proportions of things we handle, the height and distance of things we try to reach, and the dimensions of the furnishings we use for sitting, working, eating, and sleeping.

Scale

Scale refers to how the viewer perceives or judges the size of something. Scale is always a comparison of one thing to another. In drawing, we use a scale that specifies the ratio that determines the relationship between an illustration to that which it represents using visual scale, human scale, and scalar comparisons.