Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 342

A N T H ROP OM E T RY

The dimensions and proportions of the human body affect the proportion of
things we handle, the height and distance of things we try to reach, and the
dimensions of the furnishings we use for sitting, working, eating, and sleeping.
There is a difference between our structural dimensions and those dimensional
requirements that result from how we reach for something on a shelf, sit down
at a table, walk down a set of stairs, or interact with other people. These are
functional dimensions and will vary according to the nature of the activity
engaged in and the social situation.

750
500

A special field that has developed from a concern with human factors is
ergonomics—the applied science that coordinates the design of devices,
systems, and environments with our physiological and psychological capacities
and requirements.

700
950

390

625

1330

650

1400
1565
1660

550

P ROP ORTION & SCALE / 3 2 7