1.

How do different scales (related to the human body) affect the experience of a
building
As after all most of the buildings ever created where to be used by humans, it makes
sense then to make them to the scale of the user. There is one scale which is used to
create all others relating to the human body and thus buildings created for humans to
use. This is called the golden rule/ ratio this is the scale which is used all throughout
nature and thus human anatomy as a scale in each part of the body.
Also the study of the bodys measurements anthropometrics is very important in
building design it is this that directly affects the way in which we feel and experience
a space. For example the size of a door can cause differing experiences to a person
using it. A large door shows grandeur and a sense of arrival and entering in to a
different space, on the other hand a small door is felt as been hospitable and
welcoming as its lack of size makes it less overpowering. Another area of scale which
is most often experienced by people in a building is the height of a ceiling. The height
that is seen as been a standard is the height of a standing person with their arms
raised fully; it is this height that is felt to be a confinable ceiling height. Although a
larger height is often seen as conveying a sense of grandeur and wealth in buildings,
but often at the other end of the scale the lower than average ceiling height can be
experienced as been cosy and warm with a sense of enclosure to the uses.

How might different typologies (e.g. house, palace, restaurant, law court etc) use
scale differently to create an appropriate experience?

To create an appropriate experience in a law house, a building which will need to

stand for such a important thing as the definitive law. The building must convey a
sense of magnitude and permanence to its users. In this way the overall scale of any
court building is large, this is as a larger building portrays its permanence and statue
to people through making them feel small when compared. It is this sense of feeling
small which conveys the sense that you are not as important as what the building
stands for. Another example of specific scales used is in governmental buildings like
council houses most commonly it is there wide use of stairs at the entrance of the
building. This use of stairs causes a person to look up to the building making it feel
grander and of a larger scale than it actually is.
In a normal English house, scale is used very differently. One of the most common
teqnike used is the scales of the inside of the building in order to make a user feel
secure and comfortable. This is done through many different uses of scale throughout
the building constriction. For example to make a house feel cosier to a person the
ceiling height may be lowered to create a smaller space and thus the sense that the
person is secure through making the walls of the space colder to them.
Very much like the court building, palaces are also buildings which are designed with
portraying wealth and stature in mind. Most palaces around the world are created on
a very large scale. The idea behind this thinking it to show to others there power
through creating a very imposing structure.
2. Find examples of spaces which might feel cosy, intimate, intimidating, imposing
etc.

There are many intimidating spaces in buildings around the world. An example of this
would be the roman coliseum. Its large imposing structure and scale from inside make
for a very imposing atmosphere. Another example would be York cathedral; many of
the larger churches such as this have very high ceilings and are made primarily of
stone. It is this that makes a person feel small and insignificant when inside. Religious
buildings where made in this way to show their importance and
An example of a building that might make you feel cosy is a traditional English
cottage, with its low ceilings and large use of natural materials such as wood are
most often associated with comfort and warmth. Another example would be
traditional Japanese style houses, it is there use of natural light and natural materials
which make them feel cosy to their culture but not necessarily to others.
In much of the same way the spaces which feel cosy are naturally also going to feel
intimate. For example the traditional Japanese houses use of simplistic design and
colours makes the people inside of the room the only focus and thus making a more
intimate space. There is also the idea of smaller spaces create more intimate spaces
as for many people being close to another person is considered to be intimate, it is
usually this lack of space which creates this intimacy, so in summery smaller and
darker spaces are most likely to make people feel intimate.
One example of an imposing space would be a market; it is there business and lack of
organisation which can be felt to be imposing. But also in the same way as many
spaces feel intimidating, they are also very much likely to also feel imposing.
Buildings such as skyscrapers are considered to be very imposing with their large
looming scale and towering height. An example of this would be the empire state
building, this and its surrounding large scale buildings create a sense of making you
feel small and this are very imposing. There is also an idea of the material that is
used and these buildings large use of concrete and metal both unnatural materials
make for an imposing space, it is the idea of the concrete jungle, and how a natural
jungle is also very imposing and skyscrapers and the cities they are in are the man
make version of this.