5 What Is Scale, Why Is It Important, and How Is It Used? In this chapter you will learn about: •
The many meanings of the word “scale”
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The reasons for scaled drawings
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How to choose the right scale for a drawing
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Principles for reading a topographic map
Scale: A Word of Several Meanings The word “scale” has at least three meanings in design. The wooden or plastic instrument we learned to call a “ruler” in kindergarten is referred to as a scale in landscape architecture, engineering, and architecture. In its first meaning, the word “scale” refers to the device we use for measuring, to guide the designer in creating a plan or detail on paper or computer. The second meaning of the word “scale” refers to proportions—that is, a means of representing the actual dimensions of say a building by a drawing that fits on a sheet of paper. A third meaning of “scale” refers to the size of an object relative to the size of a person. In this case, when we use the word “scale,” as in “the wall height is in scale with people,” we mean that the height of the wall is not overwhelming relative to the space and the people using the space. The pattern of the campus walkway shown in Figure€5.1, located in the central quad on the UCLA campus, was designed by early twentieth-century landscape architect Ralph Cornell, with the intent of incorporating selected
