The study of the mathematical relationship
between nature and human dimensions has been explored since the 1400s starting
with Leonardo Da Vinci in about 1490 (Oksanish, 2019). He drew the Vitruvian
Man, which were proportions of the human body according to Vitruvius, a Roman
architect (Oksanish, 2019). The human proportion drawing (Figure 1) shows a man
in two superimposed positions with his legs and arms apart surrounded by a
square and a circle. The drawing is based on measurements of male models in
Milan, a representation of the ideal male figure according to Da Vinci
(Oksanish, 2019), however, this proportion system only represented a tiny
percentage of the human population (Arellano, 2018).
Le Corbusier expressed his support for Da Vinci’s ideas of the ideal human proportions, however, in his obsession with creating harmony between the human body and spaces, he sought to establish a new system that would bind the body to the architectural world, in which arose the Modular (Figure 2) (Arellano, 2018).
Similarly, the Malay community had its own human
proportion system that was established in an age that saw the rise of
traditional vernacular architecture. The spaces in Malay traditional houses and
palaces as seen in Pura Tanjung Sabtu (Figure 3), were associated firmly in
relation to human activities, constraints and spatial occupation by furniture
(Hosseini, Mursib and Nafida, 2012). This provided traditional Malay
communities convenience for their daily needs and activities as well as to
practice their cultural duties (Hosseini, Mursib and Nafida, 2012).
In the Malay culture, measurements were taken
based on the human body, sisnapmilar to Da Vinci, by taking measurements of the
hands, arms and limbs (Ismail, 2006). However, unlike Da Vinci’s male models,
the measurements were taken of the carpenters that constructed the houses and
palaces (Ismail, 2006). The longest unit of measurement is the ‘depa’, which is
the dimension between the tips of the fingers of the horizontal outstretched
arms of a person (Figure 4) (Ismail, 2006). The smallest unit, on the other hand,
is ‘jari’ (Figure 5), which is the width of a finger. One ‘jari’ or more was
used to measure small dimensions (Ismail, 2006).
The concept of taking measurements from the body such as the elbow, the finger, thumb, arms, palm, foot, etc were traditional methods used almost globally by all traditional cultures. It seems almost to show the proximity of architecture to the human body (Arellano, 2018), and how we consider the movement of the human body within these architecture spaces. These traditional methods were used to due to convenience as communities did not need to search for any tools to create spaces and wider communication, like the one we have now, was not possible at that time to come up with a standard measurement system (Arellano, 2018).
While Corbusier’s Modular man, just like the Vitruvian man, is not inclusive to all human body types, his true intention was to set up a “grid of proportions” that would be the main concept for the whole project, leading to endless combinations and proportions to a project though prefabrication (Corbusier, 1948). This concept of a grid system is not too far from the traditional Malay architecture set-up as well, as traditional measurement systems allowed for Malay houses to be expanded according to a grid system derived from human proportions (Figure 6) (Ismail, 2006).
Arellano, M. (2018). On the Dislocation of the Body in Architecture: Le Corbusier's Modulor, 27 Sep 2018. ArchDaily. (Trans. Johnson, Maggie) <https://www.archdaily.com/902597/on-the-dislocation-of-the-body-in-architecture-le-corbusiers-modulor/> ISSN 0719-8884 Accessed 17 Feb 2020.
Le Corbusier expressed his support for Da Vinci’s ideas of the ideal human proportions, however, in his obsession with creating harmony between the human body and spaces, he sought to establish a new system that would bind the body to the architectural world, in which arose the Modular (Figure 2) (Arellano, 2018).
Similarly, the Malay community had its own human
proportion system that was established in an age that saw the rise of
traditional vernacular architecture. The spaces in Malay traditional houses and
palaces as seen in Pura Tanjung Sabtu (Figure 3), were associated firmly in
relation to human activities, constraints and spatial occupation by furniture
(Hosseini, Mursib and Nafida, 2012). This provided traditional Malay
communities convenience for their daily needs and activities as well as to
practice their cultural duties (Hosseini, Mursib and Nafida, 2012).
In the Malay culture, measurements were taken
based on the human body, sisnapmilar to Da Vinci, by taking measurements of the
hands, arms and limbs (Ismail, 2006). However, unlike Da Vinci’s male models,
the measurements were taken of the carpenters that constructed the houses and
palaces (Ismail, 2006). The longest unit of measurement is the ‘depa’, which is
the dimension between the tips of the fingers of the horizontal outstretched
arms of a person (Figure 4) (Ismail, 2006). The smallest unit, on the other hand,
is ‘jari’ (Figure 5), which is the width of a finger. One ‘jari’ or more was
used to measure small dimensions (Ismail, 2006).The concept of taking measurements from the body such as the elbow, the finger, thumb, arms, palm, foot, etc were traditional methods used almost globally by all traditional cultures. It seems almost to show the proximity of architecture to the human body (Arellano, 2018), and how we consider the movement of the human body within these architecture spaces. These traditional methods were used to due to convenience as communities did not need to search for any tools to create spaces and wider communication, like the one we have now, was not possible at that time to come up with a standard measurement system (Arellano, 2018).
While Corbusier’s Modular man, just like the Vitruvian man, is not inclusive to all human body types, his true intention was to set up a “grid of proportions” that would be the main concept for the whole project, leading to endless combinations and proportions to a project though prefabrication (Corbusier, 1948). This concept of a grid system is not too far from the traditional Malay architecture set-up as well, as traditional measurement systems allowed for Malay houses to be expanded according to a grid system derived from human proportions (Figure 6) (Ismail, 2006).
In conclusion, while traditional Malay
architecture might seem ancient physically, the ideas of how the human body
interacts and brings order to its space is not far from the modernist ideas of
Le Corbusier or Neufert. They were also visionary to consider expansion and
ease of production through grid systems and easy to remove architectural
elements. It would be of great benefit to architects to study and preserve
Malay architecture such as the Pura Tanjung Sabtu as the useful and simple
solutions to human needs in space can be easily understood through many of
their systems.
Reference
Arellano, M. (2018). On the Dislocation of the Body in Architecture: Le Corbusier's Modulor, 27 Sep 2018. ArchDaily. (Trans. Johnson, Maggie) <https://www.archdaily.com/902597/on-the-dislocation-of-the-body-in-architecture-le-corbusiers-modulor/> ISSN 0719-8884 Accessed 17 Feb 2020.
Corbusier, L. (1948).
Le Modular. Birkhauser Publisher.
Hosseini, E., Mursib,
G., and Nafida, R. (2012). Values in Traditional Architecture: Malay House. 6th
International Seminar on Vernacular Settlements, Contemporary Vernaculars:
Places, Processes and Manifestations, April 19-21, 2012, Famagusta, North
Cyprus. Accessed from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263580464_Values_in_Traditional_Architecture_Malay_House
. Accessed 17 Feb 2020.
Ismail, Z. (2006).
Modularity Concept in Traditional Malay House (TMH) in Malaysia. Retrieved from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c732/77567094086d633a6fec94b96f46fec8324b.pdf
Retrieved on 17 Feb 2020.
Oksanish, J. (2019). Vitruvian Man. Oxford University Press.
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