Designing Proportions
Jonathan Lynn deep dives into proportional ratios and early-stage design, using Studio Hapt's AIA Ta’if Eco-Resort design as an example.
'there was always a gap between these theories and incorporating ratio into a holistic modern design process'
'as a shape approaches a 1:1 aspect ratio, distances between points become more uniforms... In a hot climate this becomes an obvious advantage, encouraging walkability and creating a contained edge condition that naturally drives urban form. '
This enclosed feeling encapsulates a person naturally and draws them through the space
The loss of enclosure is compensated for through extensive overhead shading structures, allowing the space to retain comfort despite its scale.
As Chris set out in the previous piece, one way to judge the success of public realm is by the amount of time people choose to linger. The more comfortable a space is, the longer people tend to stay. In hot climates that comfort often comes down to the tools we can use to cool the environment. But it isn’t enough for a space to simply be cool and comfortable to be successful.
When trying to dissect my favourite spaces in the built environment, I always start by estimating not their horizontal dimension, but the relationship between their vertical and horizontal dimensions, and comparing that to myself (0.7m wide, 1.9m tall, or roughly 1:2.7 for those keeping track at home). This follows a long tradition, and was something covered in my very first week of architectural training; from ancient Egyptian and Greek ideas on proportion, through the Golden Ratio (c.300 BC), the use of musical intervals in architecture (1500s), the Modulor system (1950s), and more recently biomimetic approaches that seek to replicate natural proportions through simulation rather than abstraction. All of these are fascinating, and I thoroughly recommend looking into them, as there is already a wealth of writing on each.
These theories all present ways of understanding the ratios we instinctively perceive and experience in the built environment. For me, however, there was always a gap between these ideas and incorporating ratio into a holistic modern design process, where so many other variables need to be considered. I was introduced to Friedrich Ragette's Traditional Domestic Architecture of the Arab Region during a masterplan project. Within it, Ragette includes sketches of the proportions found throughout vernacular settlements, and this has always resonated with me as a practical tool for anchoring design decisions; not as a fixed set of rules, but as a collection of interlinked relationships, each responding to its own purpose.
Using a recent Studio Hapt project, I'd like to take you through how I interpret and apply ratio across three scales: the masterplan, the public realm and the private space.
Masterplanning Proportions
Proportion at the masterplanning scale can be simplified into a balance between access and view equity. In a masterplan where every unit wants an uninterrupted view, a long single-loaded arrangement with a ratio approaching 20:1 would be optimum. You see this in golf course villas, hotel corridors and giga-projects such as The Line, all of which fall into this hyper-elongated form. However, this is not how vernacular settlements have traditionally evolved.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, as a shape approaches a 1:1 aspect ratio, distances between points become more uniform. Every point is as close to every other point as possible. In a hot climate this becomes an obvious advantage, encouraging walkability and creating a contained edge condition that naturally drives urban form. The obvious downside is that the interior of this ratio loses direct access to the views enjoyed at the perimeter. This creates opportunities for amenities, public courtyards, shaded gardens or communal hubs in the these spaces. In the eco-resort submission, we worked within ratios of around 2:1 to 4:1 to balance the benefits of accessibility with orientation and outlook of a longer proportion.
Public Realm
With the overall masterplan proportion established, the ratio and psychology of the human experience can begin to be explored. Large open spaces can still be shaded and therefore comfortable. This may be appropriate for parks, gardens or promenades where generous open areas are necessary. However, streets or public squares that become too wide often become spaces people only pass through or occupy only at the shaded edges.
This isn’t unique to the middle-east wandering down streets in warmer parts of Europe a typical residential street might be around 7m wide with three-storey buildings, creating a ratio close to 1:2. This enclosed feeling encapsulates a person naturally and draws them through the space. It is also a very similar proportion to the human form (see my 1:2.7 ratio earlier). Adequate shade is provided by relatively modest building heights, yet they are not tall enough to feel imposing. A slightly wider street of around 10m, carrying more movement and activity, often responds by increasing to four or five storeys, maintaining a similar 1:2 ratio. As the street becomes wider, the buildings respond accordingly. This consistency creates a familiar language throughout the city, allowing users to instinctively understand the hierarchy and character of different streets.
Boulevards carrying major traffic often break this relationship, becoming closer to 2:1 than 1:2, where width dominates height. While necessary for movement, they inevitably lose much of the comfort and enclosure experienced within smaller streets. They become spaces for infrastructure rather than people.
The same principle applies to residential courtyards. Their purpose is comfort, relaxation and social interaction, so people should feel comfortable occupying them. Courtyards that become too wide lose shade and begin to feel exposed. Successful examples typically remain between 1:1 and 1:2.5, while designers should be careful not to push beyond approximately 1:3. If building heights reduce, the spaces between them must respond by narrowing, maintaining comfortable ratios throughout or the function of those public spaces must respond.
On streets, buildings often respond to the space. Around residences, the space often responds to the building.
These ideas can still be effective within exceptionally large civic spaces, some of which push proportional theory to the extreme. The plaza in Doha example is intended as a premium civic destination capable of hosting events throughout the year. Its footprint is enormous, yet the surrounding buildings respond directly to these dimensions, producing a ratio closer to 2:1. The loss of enclosure is compensated for through extensive overhead shading structures, allowing the space to retain comfort despite its scale. Although it sits well outside traditional dimensions, the principle remains the same: every ratio demands an appropriate architectural response.
Private Space
Moving into the next scale, human-scale detailing is defined by the proportions and rhythms that people can touch. When designing things like material changes, we need to position them in relation to the body.
Doors, windows, columns and façade elements should be arranged in consistent proportions that relate to human movement and scale but they can be elongated to create a sense of luxury. Rather than relying on large uninterrupted surfaces, introducing a finer grain of detail breaks down the perceived scale of buildings, making them feel approachable and comfortable to occupy. When designing the plan arrangement of the eco-resort villas, our choice to rely heavily on the circle innately links us to a 1:1 proportion, but the finer detailing added significant value to the effect of the ratio.
The proportion of openings plays a significant role in shaping both comfort and perception. Repetition of openings at a regular rhythm establishes order which can then be adopted by panels, screens, and curtains. These details are often working within much tighter relationships 1:1, 1:1.5 or 1:2.
When looking across these scales, ratios really dictate so much of the design process in a way that creates a more emotional response, and these ratios cannot be singled out to an individual proportional system (though I continue to love the golden ratio). As designers, we are driven by creating spaces that are comfortable for their users but still subtly nod to the spaces use and feel. Ratios should be more than a compositional exercise, but rather a quiet influencer on how people experience a design. There are no universal numbers that guarantee success but understanding the relationships between people and the spaces around them provides a reliable framework for making better decisions.
Jonathan is an architectural designer and masterplanner. Internationally, he has worked on projects in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, China and Europe with a focus on hospitality and residential masterplans. Primarily working within the conceptual design stages Jonathan has broad experience across a variety of scales of master planning projects. These range from individual plot developments, residential and mixed use district scale projects in the UAE and regional scale hospitality, residential and entertainment masterplans in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to his master planning Jonathan also has experience on competition and concept stage work for individual buildings across varied typologies in both China and the Middle East, including Residential (Mid and High Rise Apartments, Villas, Mansions), Hospitality (3-5+ Star, 80-350 Key), Office (High Rise), and Cultural projects (Museums, Opera Houses and Expo Pavilions).