18. Scale

Scale

Scale, a cousin of size, is a subjective rather than objective term. With size, one can say, “that building is twenty feet tall,” but with the scale, it has to be relative to something else, such as the building is three times the size of the man. For example, in the image of the massing composition on the top right, none of those stones are larger than two inches, but it is not apparent from the picture how big each of the stones is. One can only garner how big they are relative to each other. Same with the continuous plane exercise on page 47. The model’s height is about sixteen inches, but that is not obvious from just looking at that picture. Architects use scale in a variety of ways. It can be distorted to seem larger or smaller than it should be. Scale can also be used to give the viewer an idea about the size of a design. People are frequently used as comparisons in these images, such as in the image of the front of Notre Dame in Paris, where the people give a sense of how big the cathedral is. While the doors on Notre Dame are enormous, doors, stairs, and other features can usually give us a greater idea of “human” scale. (continued on page 48).

From top to bottom:

A close up of a massing composition done by me representing the idea “overlap.”

The front of the Notre Dame catherdral in paris France with people out front. Photo by Mitchell Funk.

Scale

The image of the Swan House in Atlanta, Georgia, shows an angle from which we can see the stairs, doors, and windows, which do to the relative sizes of these things to human beings, helps us to understand just how big the house is.

This is a small section that just includes the topic Size, which is simply Scale, but only in relation to specific units and not other objects and features.

From top to bottom:

A continuous plane study using bristol board. Model created by author.

The Swan House in Atlanta, Georgia designed by Phillip T. Shutze Photo by Travis Swann Taylor