In 1948, architect Le Corbusier released one of his most popular
publications titled “Le Modulor”. In the text, he discovered mathematical
proportions in the human body and then to use that knowledge to improve both
the appearance and function of architecture. (Ostwald, 2001)
Le Corbusier think that building should be the concern of
heavy industry, and the component parts of houses should be mass-produced. He
wants to set up a grid of proportions, which will serve as a rule of project
and a basis for prefabrication that offers series of different combinations and
proportions. This Proportioning Grid should be set above both the system of the
foot-and-inch and the metric system. The workers and designers will consult it
to choose the measures for their work in order to unite it in harmony. (Corbusier, 2004)
The ‘Modulor’ arises from Le Corbusier's obsession to establish harmony between spaces and human body where the measurements are universally applicable in both architectural and mechanical world. Although this body represented a very small percentage of the world population, Le Corbusier's intentions were to restore order between the human body. (“On the Dislocation of the Body in Architecture: Le Corbusier’s Modulor | ArchDaily,” n.d.)
The ‘Modulor’ arises from Le Corbusier's obsession to establish harmony between spaces and human body where the measurements are universally applicable in both architectural and mechanical world. Although this body represented a very small percentage of the world population, Le Corbusier's intentions were to restore order between the human body. (“On the Dislocation of the Body in Architecture: Le Corbusier’s Modulor | ArchDaily,” n.d.)
The ‘Modulor’ is a measuring tool based on the human body and
on mathematics. A man-with-arm-upraised provides three intervals which gives
rise to a series of golden sections, called the Fibonacci series. These
intervals are at the determining points of his occupation of space foot, solar
plexus, head and tips of fingers of the upraised arm. On the other hand,
mathematics offers the simplest and also the most powerful variation of a
value, which are the single unit, the double unit and the three golden
sections. (Corbusier, 2004)
Whilst Le Corbusier was intrigued by ancient civilisations
who used measuring systems linked to the human body such as elbow (cubit),
finger (inch) and thumb, he was troubled by the metre as a measure. With the ‘Modulor’,
Le Corbusier sought to introduce a scale of visual measures that would unite
two virtually incompatible systems: the Anglo Saxon foot and inch and the
French metric system. It talks about a conceptual architecture that was
produced using objects and local measurements that one didn't need to search
further for and didn't adhere to any particular standard. (“Modulor - Wikipedia,” n.d.)
“We tried to apply this standard: six feet = 6330.48 =
182.88 cm. To our delight, the graduations of a new ‘Modulor’, based on a man
six feet tall, translated themselves before our eyes into round figures in feet
and inches!” – Le Corbusier
The ‘Modulor’ that converts metres into feet and inches
automatically, becoming the property of users of all races and all heights. It
fits the natural human postures and scale. The meter is a mere number without
concrete being as designations of the decimal system. The numbers of the ‘Modulor’
are measures that possess a concrete body and properties of numbers. As a result,
this changed the world to become more connected and a singular world vision
started to unite continents. (Corbusier, 2004)
In Malaysia, our ancestors used human-centered measurement
system in designing the traditional Malay house by adapting the house owner’s
measurement. These standard measurements are used throughout the house,
creating the proper relation of the elements to one another and to the whole in
term of size. The house based on the human scale thus develop sensitive
dimensions for the use of space and traditional furniture. (“Houses in Malaysia: Fusion of the East and the West
- Hashimah Wan Ismail (Wan.) - Google Books,” n.d.)
The measurement of the knuckle (buku and ketak), the length of forearm (hasta), the length of the outstretched palm (jengkal), and the length of two arms outstretched (depa), were all used as measurements. (“Houses in
Malaysia: Fusion of the East and the West - Hashimah Wan Ismail (Wan.) - Google
Books,” n.d.) The
smallest dimensions are multiples of finger widths, followed by the widths of a
closed hand, open hand, or two open hands. At the upper scale, the body and two
extended arms allow the system to extend up to around 6 ft. in length. (“Patterns of Home: The Ten Essentials of Enduring
Design - Max Jacobson, Murray Silverstein, Barbara Winslow - Google Books,”
n.d.)
Proportion was important to give the house a human scale. For instance, spacing between stilts are
typically follow the arms-spread width of the wife and mother in the family of
the house when being build. (“Malay house - Wikipedia,” n.d.) The doors are normally
shorter than human height so people end up bowing down when entering the
building as a sign of respect.
Corbusier,
L. (2004). The Modulor and Modulor 2 (Google eBook). Basel &
Boston: Springer. Retrieved from
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5ja-3GavJssC&pgis=1
Houses
in Malaysia: Fusion of the East and the West - Hashimah Wan Ismail (Wan.) -
Google Books. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2020, from
https://books.google.com.my/books?id=hAH8aqvM4ecC&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=human+scale+in+malay+house&source=bl&ots=4nloSFOD5h&sig=ACfU3U0tf1tkLFCAtJwhfVOsxQStV1h0Ig&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjn0KeEtd7nAhXNzjgGHe8KDIwQ6AEwBHoECAwQAQ#v=onepage&q=human
scale in malay house&f=false
Malay
house - Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2020, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malay_house
Modulor
- Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2020, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modulor
On
the Dislocation of the Body in Architecture: Le Corbusier’s Modulor |
ArchDaily. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2020, from https://www.archdaily.com/902597/on-the-dislocation-of-the-body-in-architecture-le-corbusiers-modulor
Ostwald,
M. J. (2001). Le Corbusier (Charles Edouard Jeanneret), The Modulor and Modulor
2 – 2 volumes. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2000. Nexus Network Journal, 3(1),
145–148. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-000-0015-0
Patterns
of Home: The Ten Essentials of Enduring Design - Max Jacobson, Murray
Silverstein, Barbara Winslow - Google Books. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20,
2020, from https://books.google.com.my/books?id=-58v6AYDr8UC&pg=PA132&lpg=PA132&dq=human+scale+in+malay+house&source=bl&ots=LH1BJShEkS&sig=ACfU3U20qzHw-lDhuJ946An5r4tKGgjpwg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjn0KeEtd7nAhXNzjgGHe8KDIwQ6AEwA3oECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=human
scale in malay house&f=false
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