Designing Architecture In Between Scales

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to discuss scale as not only a representative but also a creative and imaginative tool. By using the method of conceptual analysis, the paper discusses concepts which are used to define scale in architecture. These analyses reveal the changing theoretical framework of scale. The argument of the paper is that this is the change of scale from being a representational to a self-representational tool, suggesting that when scale is freed from the dimensional or proportional qualities of the object it represents, it only represents itself in architecture. Although scale is usually defined by the concepts of size, dimension, measurement and proportion, it has many other definitions, as it is relational and perceptual. The relational and perceptual nature of scale makes it an imaginative tool in architectural design. It is also a creative tool that encourages designers to think and imagine in an interdisciplinary context in architecture. Scale, therefore, cannot be understood only as a technical tool that represents the size of a design object. As a contribution to the literature, the paper reconceptualises scale as a self-representational tool that does not necessarily represent a specific size or object. The paper conceives of scale as a tool for designing in between scales in architecture.