Human Scale

Applications of Technology

According to Chapter 3 in the textbook,

human scale is defined as objects or

places designed to relate to the size

and proportions of the human body.

What is Human Scale?

Ergonomics is the applied science that coordinates the design of devices, systems, and environments with our physiological and psychological capabilities and requirements.

How is Human Scale related to Engineering and Architecture?A branch of Engineering that has developed

because of the study of human scale is Ergonomics.

Ergonomics can be simply defined asHUMAN ENGINEERING.

What is Ergonomics?

Anthropometry can be broken down into two rootsanthropo – Greek meaning “human”metry – Greek meaning “the process of

measuring”

Anthropometry literally means “the process of measuring humans.”

The formal definition is the measurement of the size and proportions of the human body.

How is Human Scale related to Engineering and Architecture?

Anthropometry is based on functional ratios andaverage human dimensions.

Anthropometry

Functional ratios affect• Things we handle• Height and distance of things we reach• Dimensions of furnishings we use for sitting, working, eating, and sleeping

Who is famous for studying human scale?Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (October 6, 1887 – August 27, 1965), also known as Le Corbusier, is one of many architects to study human scale. Le Corbusier is famous creating the proportional system know as Modulor.

ModulorLe Corbusier began studying human scale around 1942. His first published study, entitled The Modulor: AHarmonious Measure to the Human Scale UniversallyApplicable to Architecture and Mechanics, was in 1948.

Modulor is based on two things:

Modulor

Proportions of the human body

In mathematics, the numbers below represent a

0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13, ?series

.

What would be the next term?The next term should be 21 because the pattern

is to addthe previous two numbers to get the next term.

8+13=21

Mathematics&

Examples of Corbu's Modulor

Section of Unité d'Habitation

Unité d'Habitation

Unité d'Habitation

View of Unité d'Habitation

What is the significance of this picture?

Leonardo Da Vinci studied

human scale during the

Renaissance with his

painting The Vitruvian

Man.His studies were based on

the findings of the Roman

author, architect, and

engineer Vitruvius (80-70 BC to 15 AD).

Vituvius stated the span of

a humans arms is equal to

his or her height.

Anthropometry is problematic because of variations from the normal.

Why is Anthropometry problematic?

Variations between racial groups

Variations between

individuals

Variations in gender

Why is Anthropometry problematic?Anthropometry is problematic because of

variations from the normal.

Variations in ages

SourcesChing, Francis D. K. Architecture: Form, Space, and Order. 3rd ed. Hoboken: John Wiley, 2007.