05
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:78
(RAY)
076-083_30056.indd 78 3/4/13 7:49 PM
78
THE INTERIOR DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
Text
Chapter 5: Proportions of a Room
In the disciplines of art and design, proportion is concerned with one of the funda-
mental characteristics of shape: the aspect ratio of width to length. Signicantly, the
qualication of the proportion of a shape does not concern itself with dimensions.
When designers speak of the proportions of a shape, they are usually discussing the
relative width and length of a rectangle, but they can also address the proportion
of an oval, or even complex and irregular forms such as the proportions of a kidney-
shaped swimming pool. Most typically, proportions are considered when making de-
sign decisions about a series of related elements. For example, the designer should
consider the proportion of the wall space between windows as well as the proportion
of the windows themselves when designing an interior elevation. The relative propor-
tion of the shape of the wall and the shape of the window can be construed as a
more complex proportional relationship. Proportion is considered in two dimensions
in drawing and painting and when composing a plan or an elevation.
INFLUENCE OF PROPORTION
Rooms of Different Shapes
For interior design, the proportion of a space or an object is qualied by the relative length of
three variables: width, length, and height. The character and use of a room is strongly inu-
enced by the proportion of the space. A room that is relatively long, narrow, and tall is much
different in character than a room that is square in plan with a low ceiling. The relative propor-
tion of a room qualies whether a space is primarily meant as a path or a place. Square rooms
are the most geometrically stable, but are difcult to furnish and thus used for ceremonial
functions when large or as threshold spaces when small. Rectangular spaces with proportions
of less than 1:2 are the most common shape of place-rooms since they can accommodate a
variety of furniture arrangements and can be easily aggregated along circulation armatures.
Long, narrow rooms are typically circulation spaces, whether functional corridors or spaces for
processional rituals and ceremonies.
The pure geometry of a
square room can demand
a symmetrical arrange-
ment of furnishings.
A rectangular space can
be broken up into different
zones to accommodate
distinct seating areas.
The formality of a tall and
long room is ideal for both
work and entertaining.
SQUARE RECTANGULAR TALL
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:78
(RAY)
076-083_30056.indd 78 3/4/13 7:28 PM
05
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:79
(RAY)
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:78
076-083_30056.indd 79 3/4/13 7:49 PM
Text
79
mental characteristics of shape: the aspect ratio of width to length. Signicantly, the
When designers speak of the proportions of a shape, they are usually discussing the
sign decisions about a series of related elements. For example, the designer should
consider the proportion of the wall space between windows as well as the proportion
of the windows themselves when designing an interior elevation. The relative propor-
For interior design, the proportion of a space or an object is qualied by the relative length of
different in character than a room that is square in plan with a low ceiling. The relative propor-
tion of a room qualies whether a space is primarily meant as a path or a place. Square rooms
functions when large or as threshold spaces when small. Rectangular spaces with proportions
Long, narrow rooms are typically circulation spaces, whether functional corridors or spaces for
The pure geometry of a
square room can demand
a symmetrical arrange-
ment of furnishings.
A rectangular space can
be broken up into different
zones to accommodate
distinct seating areas.
The formality of a tall and
long room is ideal for both
work and entertaining.
Hackensack University Medical Center.
Photo by Steve Hockstein/HarvardStudio.com.
Tadao Ando, Morimoto, New York.
Photo by David Joseph.
Morris Sato Studio, Winterhouse.
Photo by Michael Moran.
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:79
(RAY)
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:78
076-083_30056.indd 79 3/4/13 7:28 PM
05
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:80
(RAY)
076-083_30056.indd 80 3/4/13 7:49 PM
8 0
THE INTERIOR DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
Text
Rooms in a Choreographed Sequence of Spaces
Rooms can be arranged as a proportional related sequence of spaces. The richest sequences
of rooms typically contrast rooms of different but related proportions to create visual variety
and to provoke a sense of discovery. Strategies that consider contrasting proportions of
rooms also seek contrasting qualities of light to enliven the itinerary.
DETERMINING PROPORTION
Proportions are determined and appreciated in one of two ways: either through the informed
intuition of the designer or through a rule system established by the designer. When designers
use a rule-based proportioning system, they typically employ it opportunistically—following the
proportioning system when helpful and ignoring it when other design criteria prove to be more
important.
An Intuition for Proportion
Talented designers have an innate sense of proportion. In fact, this is one of the essential
skills that every artist and designer needs to develop. When proportions are considered intui-
tively, expressions such as “relative weight,” “balance,” and “designing the space in-between”
may capture the synthesis of visual choices during design. Appreciating proportions can also
be an act of connoisseurship. To speak of a “beautifully proportioned façade” suggests a
recognition of an overall balance among the proportions of the windows, the spaces between
the windows, and the proportion of the wall itself. When proportions are designed and appreci-
ated intuitively, the visual tastes of the creator and observer play an important role. Some
designers prefer dynamic compositions with strongly contrasting proportions, while others
may seek stasis and balance. The history of visual styles is partly the history of the changing
tastes for proportional and compositional strategies.
Whole-Number Proportions
Rule-based proportioning strategies, by contrast, begin with a geometric system that associ-
ates the various lengths of an object or space with mathematical ratios. The most common of
these systems relates the length, width, and height of a room in simple whole numbers. For
example, a rectangular room can be qualified as a room that is twice as long as wide with a
ceiling as tall as its width. Such a room can be defined as a simple whole-number proportion:
1:2:1
Andrea Palladio famously used a whole-number proportioning system to design and organize
the rooms for his palace and villa commissions in the sixteenth century. The plans of the
rooms in Palladio’s buildings are typically organized in whole-number ratios of
or rectangles of
cause the resulting shapes sit uncomfortably between the stable square and the directionality
of the rectangle.
Plan and section of Villa Capra by Palladio
Morris Sato Studio, Winterhouse.
Photo by Michael Moran.
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:80
(RAY)
076-083_30056.indd 80 3/4/13 7:28 PM
05
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:81
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:80
(RAY)
076-083_30056.indd 81 3/4/13 7:49 PM
81
Proportions of a Room
Text
Rooms can be arranged as a proportional related sequence of spaces. The richest sequences
intuition of the designer or through a rule system established by the designer. When designers
use a rule-based proportioning system, they typically employ it opportunistically—following the
proportioning system when helpful and ignoring it when other design criteria prove to be more
-
tively, expressions such as “relative weight,” “balance,” and “designing the space in-between”
may capture the synthesis of visual choices during design. Appreciating proportions can also
recognition of an overall balance among the proportions of the windows, the spaces between
the windows, and the proportion of the wall itself. When proportions are designed and appreci-
may seek stasis and balance. The history of visual styles is partly the history of the changing
Whole-Number Proportions
Rule-based proportioning strategies, by contrast, begin with a geometric system that associ-
ates the various lengths of an object or space with mathematical ratios. The most common of
these systems relates the length, width, and height of a room in simple whole numbers. For
example, a rectangular room can be qualified as a room that is twice as long as wide with a
ceiling as tall as its width. Such a room can be defined as a simple whole-number proportion:
1:2:1.
Andrea Palladio famously used a whole-number proportioning system to design and organize
the rooms for his palace and villa commissions in the sixteenth century. The plans of the
rooms in Palladio’s buildings are typically organized in whole-number ratios of 1:1 (the square)
or rectangles of 1:2, 2:3, and 3:5. Significantly, he avoided other ratios such as 3:4 or 4:5, be-
cause the resulting shapes sit uncomfortably between the stable square and the directionality
of the rectangle.
Plan and section of Villa Capra by Palladio
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:81
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:80
(RAY)
076-083_30056.indd 81 3/4/13 7:28 PM
05
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:82
(RAY)
076-083_30056.indd 82 3/4/13 7:50 PM
82
THE INTERIOR DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
Text
The Golden Rectangle
More complex rule-based systems exploit the relationship among a class of rectangles that
can be generated from the geometric properties of the square. The most noteworthy of these
is the golden rectangle (also known as the golden section, the golden mean, and the magic
rectangle). To construct a golden rectangle, a square must rst be subdivided into two rectan-
gles, each with
1:2 proportions. If the hypotenuse of one of the rectangles is drawn and then
rotated to follow the radius of a circle with its center at the pivot point, a golden rectangle will
result. The golden rectangle has a proportion of 1:1.618.
This rectangle is golden and magical not just because of how it is generated, but also because
of its inherent geometric properties: It is the only rectangle that comprises a square and
another similar (equally proportioned) rectangle. The logic of this characteristic means that a
golden rectangle can be endlessly subdivided, with each smaller golden rectangle begetting
its own square and smaller golden rectangle.
The golden rectangle can be a helpful proportion in interior design, best used for relating
asymmetrical subdivisions of wall surfaces and/or rooms. Whenever the golden rectangle is
applied to an overall room proportion, the component square of the rectangle should also
be present, whether as the ceiling height or as some stable subset of the larger directional
space. Guiseppe Terragni, an Italian modernist working in the 1920s and 1930s, used the
golden rectangle to organize the plans and elevations of many of his projects, most notably
the Danteum, an unbuilt monument to the poet Dante, designed in 1938.
The Golden Rectangle: Ratio of 1:1.618
Leonardo de Vinci, drawing of ideal proportions
of the human gure, 1492
The Radical Two Rectangle
Another common rectangle in proportioning systems is the radical two rectangle (also known
as the root two rectangle). Its geometric construction is similar to the golden rectangle. In
this case, however, the full hypotenuse of the generating square is drawn and rotated. The
resulting proportion is thus less attenuated than that of the golden rectangle. The ratio of the
radical two rectangle is
proportions of the plans, sections, and façades of the Bibliothèque Ste. Geneviève in Paris.
Plan of Bibliothèque Ste. Geneviève by Labrouste,
Le Corbusier’s Nautilus
Photo by Alinari, Art Resource, New York.
In the 1940s, the French architect Le
Corbusier used the generating logics of
both the golden rectangle and the radical
two rectangles to generate a complex
proportioning and dimensioning system
called the Modular. Le Corbusier used the
system to compose and dimension all of
his subsequent projects until his death in
1963.
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:82
(RAY)
076-083_30056.indd 82 3/4/13 7:28 PM
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.