Design Principles and Elements: SCALE & PROPORTION

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have enjoyed a long summer of warm weather and no rain. As we move into winter and the landscape goes dormant for a season it is a great time to start thinking about design and what we want to do next spring. It is never too early to start think about the garden, even if we are still waving good bye to last year.

This week I would like to continue with my discussion on the Principles and Elements of Design with a discussion on Scale and Proportion.   Last year I wrote a post introducing these design principles entitled What language are you speaking?  Start now to use these principles and elements in your garden.

*Strasbourg cathedral interior. June 8, 2013 branyz. Creative Commons

Exaggerated Scale, but perfect proportions to create a 

sense of Awe and turn one towards the Almighty.

Overview: Scale & Proportion
In my opinion, these two interrelated aspects of landscape and garden design have the biggest impact on how a space feels. Think about the room or space that you are in right now. How does this space make you feel? Relaxed, anxious, cramped, open, awe inspired, depressed, safe and protected, or vulnerable and at risk?  After reading this post you should have a bit more understanding of why this might be and how you can influence those feelings.

SCALE 
In its basic sense scale is defined as the relative size of an object or space in relation to another object or space. In residential outdoor rooms and garden spaces we most often should reference the size or scale of on object in relation to the human body. We call this human scale.

For example an 18" high by 12" wide wall is ideal for adult seating, a 5' wide sidewalk is near perfect for two people to walk comfortable side-by-side, or a tree canopy that is around 10 feet high can be an ideal outdoor ceiling that makes one feel comfortable and protected.  Please keep in mind these are some general rules.

Small scale village in relation to the human scale of visitors

Sometimes landscape architects, architects, and artists will exaggerate the scale-- making something much larger than the human scale or much smaller for effect. Messages of power and grandeur (see the picture above of the Strasburg Cathedral) or whimsy and fantasy can be created by doing so. A picture (right) of a delightful ride in Disneyland, The Storybook Land Canal, shows a perfect example of the latter. (Note, if you are ever in Disneyland you must go on this ride. It is a must for anyone interested in the detail of scale and proportion).

When designing your garden, consider ways in which you can keep things at a human scale so that people feel comfortable, safe, and peaceful.

PROPORTION

Proportion refers to the relative size of parts within a whole. This applies to the architecture of a building, the elements of a garden structure, or even in the size of plants in relation to each other in a garden bed. Correct proportion plays a most important role in successful design.

Okay, now we just have to go back to my new favorite Disneyland ride once again as an example now of ideal proportion. In the close-up picture below (of the same location pictured above) all the parts are in proportion to the whole. So even though these buildings are really only inches tall it all looks very realistic and to scale...lego-man scale.

Ideal proportion, exaggerated small scale.

So what does this have to do with landscape design? Sometimes in landscape design not enough thought is put into proportion and a space does not feel comfortable. It can be either too cramped or too spacious for the indented user. Ever been in a space like that?  I have.

Here are a few examples:

• An evergreen tree that is much too large for the space in relation to other plant material.
• A planting bed next to a home or along a fence that is much too small in width and therefore proportion to the height of the house of the length of the fence. 
• An arbor or gazebo structure whose posts or beams are too small in relation to the height or size of the roof and feels weak and temporary, instead of timeless and stable. 
• A planting container on a porch or deck that is too small in relation to the size of the deck.

So once again proportion is the relationship of sizes of elements within a whole, or in other words the ratio of elements as they relate to each other.

So how do we know if our design has correct proportion?  Well sometime it is intuitive for a more experienced designer, but there are also many rules that have been used over mankind's history of construction on the earth. A few of the proportioning theories are:

• Golden Section/Mean
• Classical Orders
• Modular
• Fibonacci Series 

I simply list them here and encourage you to take some time to do some research on each one. You are guaranteed to start looking at everything you see differently. From tables at a furniture store and the size of windows on your home, to the width of your sidewalk or the proportions of your neighbors back deck in relation to her home.

To finish here are a few more pictures as example of Proportion and Scale.

www.gazebocreations.com

With this fun gazebo all the elements are in proportion. The pillars are not too small in diameter to the size of the structure and the visual weight of the roof.  The height of the structure is appropriate to the ratio of the width and length. The whole is at a perfect human scale for comfort and relaxation.

Taken from http://hoehnenlandscaping.com/hardscape/gallery/custom-wood-decks

In this backyard deck example the deck is in great proportion to the house and also the use of the space (dining and relaxation for 6-8 people). If the deck were a quarter of this size it would be out of proportion to the home it is attached to, the size of the dining table, and even likely the size of the plants surrounding it. Again, also to human scale is the height of the railing, the size of the furniture, the total area of the deck, and the stair measurements.

 http://www.meddiebempsters.com/backyard-fence-ideas-using-woods/

This is a simple example of when a planting bed is not in proportion when looking at the whole composition. in ratio to the height and length of the fence this plant bed, as well as the small shrubs within it, are much too narrow.

In my estimation this planting bed should average about 4 to 6 times the width and the plant material 4 -6 times the size as they currently are to obtain a more optimum proportion and be more to human scale.






Lastly a good website that describes Scale and Proportion in art, of which landscape design is indeed.
http://www.sophia.org/tutorials/design-in-art-scale-and-proportion

* http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/