Proportion (architecture)
Proportion governs the visual relationships within architecture.
Architectural theory considers proportion a core concept, linking artistic practice with mathematical ideas.[1] A structure's visual impact comes from how its parts and voids relate to each other and to the entire composition.[1] A standard length called a "module" often serves as the basis for these relationships, which are expressed in multiples of that unit.[1]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Architectural theory
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Vitruvius identified the "Six Principles of Design" as order, arrangement, proportion, symmetry, propriety and economy.[2] Aside from Vitruvius' work De architectura, very few written records of Roman architecture survive.[2] During the first Gallic Wars (58–50 BC), Vitruvius worked as an engineer for Julius Caesar.[2] Simple geometric shapes—the square, equilateral triangle, and circle—were frequently used by medieval church builders to set the proportions of both floor plans and vertical sections.[3]
Twentieth-century architectural proportion moved away from classical harmonic systems, instead being influenced by industrial production, structural technology, and functional needs.[4]
What the research sources say
In ancient times, the term symmetria referred to "mathematical harmony" and measurable proportions, not to modern symmetry.[5] Vitruvius set a person's total height at 6 feet, with each body part occupying a distinct fraction of that height.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Proportion (architecture)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: James Stevens Curl (ed.), Oxford Dictionary of Architecture, 2nd ed. (Oxford, 2006), 606-607. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proportion (architecture)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jones, "Principles of Roman Architecture", Yale University Press, 2000, p. 33–46 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proportion (architecture)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Revisiting Ad Quadratum and Ad Triangulum to Generate Hyperbolic Tessellations" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proportion (architecture)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Frampton, "Modern Architecture: A Critical History", MIT Press, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proportion (architecture)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jones, "Principles of Roman Architecture", Yale University Press, 2000, p. 41 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Proportion (architecture)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jones, "Principles of Roman Architecture", Yale University Press, 2000, p. 41; Jones, "Principles of Roman Architecture", Yale University Press, 2000, p. 33–46 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Proportion (architecture) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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