Scale+and+Space

=** SPACE **= Extension considered independently of anything that can contain, which makesextended objects conceivable and possible. The distance from one thing to another, an interval between two or more objects, such as the space between two stars and so on. The space is one of the first things they teach you in architecture school. At the begining is not easy to understand completely what space means but if you get the concept of space you will succeed in architecture. Viewing architecture as space reminds us that the experience of the built environment is primarily the experience of space boundaries and connections.

=** SCALE **= Humans interact with their environments based on their physical dimensions, capabilities and limits. The field of anthropometrics (human measurement) has unanswered questions, but it's still true that human physical characteristics are fairly predictable and objectively measurable. Buildings scaled to human physical capabilities have steps, doorways, railings, work surfaces, seating, shelves, fixtures, walking distances, and other features that fit well to the average person. Humans also interact with their environments based on their sensory capabilities. The fields of human perception systems, like perceptual psychology and cognitive psychology are not exact sciences, because human information processing is not a purely physical act, and because perception is affected by cultural factors, personal preferences, experiences, and expectations. So human scale in architecture can also describe buildings with sightlines, acoustic properties, task lighting, ambient lighting, and spatial grammar that fit well with human senses. However, one important caveat is that human perceptions are always going to be less predictable and less measurable than physical dimensions. 

In this house located at Mexico, we can see how architect Luis Barragan used big scale, elegantly proportioned mullions, and great depth of the frame to create a marvelous contradiction: it feels like part of the room is both outside and inside at the same time. Also, we can appreciate that several fundamental elements of his architecture can hardly be communicated in any other way, such as scale, light, colours and textures.

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