ANTHROPOMETRICS

Anthropometry (from Greek anthropos, 'human', and metron, 'measure') refers to the
measurement of the human individual. Anthropometrics is the comparative study of the measurements
and capabilities of the human body. An early tool of physical anthropology, it has been used for
identification, for the purposes of understanding human physical variation, in paleoanthropology and in
various attempts to correlate physical with racial and psychological traits. Anthropometry involves the
systematic measurement of the physical properties of the human body, primarily dimensional
descriptors of body size and shape.

Today, anthropometry plays an important role in industrial design, clothing design, ergonomics
and architecture where statistical data about the distribution of body dimensions in the population are
used to optimize products. Changes in lifestyles, nutrition, and ethnic composition of populations lead to
changes in the distribution of body dimensions (e.g. the rise in obesity) and require regular updating of
anthropometric data collections.

VITRUVIAN MAN

The Vitruvian Man (Italian: Le proporzioni del corpo umano secondo Vitruvio, which is translated
to "The proportions of the human body according to Vitruvius"), or simply L'Uomo Vitruviano (Italian
pronunciation: [ˈlwɔːmo vitruˈvjaːno]), is a drawing made by the Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci
around 1490.[1] It is accompanied by notes based on the work of the Roman architect Vitruvius. The
drawing, which is in ink on paper, depicts a man in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs
apart and inscribed in a circle and square. The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of
Proportions or, less often, Proportions of Man. It is kept in the Gabinetto dei disegni e stampe of the
Gallerie dell'Accademia, in Venice, Italy, under reference 228. Like most works on paper, it is displayed
to the public only occasionally, so it is not part of the normal exhibition of the museum.[2][3]

The drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human body proportions with geometry described by
the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise De architectura. Vitruvius described the
human figure as being the principal source of proportion among the classical orders of architecture.
Vitruvius determined that the ideal body should be eight heads high. Leonardo's drawing is traditionally
named in honor of the architect.

Vitruvian triad

Roman Architect Vitruvius (25 BCE) established the basic elements of architecture which have
remained essentially unchanged. These are referredto as the “Vitruvian Triad”:Notes:

Firmitas, Utilitas and Venustas’ (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio ‘The Ten Books of Architecture’ 1st CAD).These
qualities may be translated as: ‘Technology, Function and Form’ (C St J Wilson‘ArchitecturalReflections?;
Studies in the Philosophy and Practice of Architecture’
or, in theslightly more familiar but antique: ‘Firmness, Commodity & Delight’

A.) Vitruvian Triad #1-Function/Utility/Commodity:

Does a building workby supporting and reinforcing its use?Floor planElevationSection1.) Pragmatic
Utility (Parthenon by Iktinos and Kallikrates, Ancient Greek, 5thcentury BCE)2.) Circulatory Function
(Paris Opera, by Charles Garnier, 1861-75 CE03.) Symbolic Function (Notre Dame du Haut, by Le
Corbusier, 1951-55 CE)

Notes:

Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that includes those who claim that an ideologyor proposition is
true if it works satisfactorily, that the meaning of a proposition is to befound in the practical
consequences of accepting it, and that impractical ideas are to berejected.

B.)Vitruvian Triad #2-Firmness:

(The most apparent part of the building—what makes it stand up?)Physical Structure—literal “bones” of
the building.Perceptural Structure—what we see, or empathetic analysis (Sainte Chapelle,Gothic, 1243-
48 CE)1.) Structural System: making sure that objects will not fall to earth, despitethe incessant pull of
gravity.

STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS:

1.) Post-and-Lintel (Nile Valley Temple, Ancient Egyptian, c. 2680-2550 BCE