Since its two publications, 1948 and Modulor has been incorporated as an anthropometric and human proportion reference until today as part of the design process heritage. Therefore, reliable metric information sources are needed, real data-based, useful in the architectural design process. Using documentary research, this critical essay deconstructs Modulor's attributes as a reference to the human scale, as it is based on a fanciful abstract drawing but not on real population stature measurements. Le Corbusier sought to justify the 2.20 meters height fitting to the human scale only considering an arm raised humanoid figure. Anthropometric databases are used from different sources, some French, where wide samplings indicate that height measurements considered by Le Corbusier's advisers, 1.75 and 1.83, do not correspond to population mean stature, 1.60-1.69, when the Modulor was made up. It was considered, in France, from the beginning of the physical anthropology of which anthropometry is a part, 18th century, until the trends of the 20th century. In addition, data from other countries during the 19th and 20th centuries also has through Le Corbusier´s lifespan. Human height is a variable measure, not standard. People can be 2.00 tall (Netherlands, 1996) or small, 1.49 (Guatemala, 1996. Neither the standing nor the seated body width was studied anthropometrically at all. Modulor besides is an excluding metric model in gender and ages. No more databases were analyzed, but those studies offer enough contrast between the abstract (Modulor) and the concrete (real people) height measurements. A large sample design, based on mean measure, is an erroneous criterion because it applies only to a population's small range. That is what Le Corbusier established with the Modulor to be the measure of all things but with fixed standard. Therefore, it is recommended to check other sources to corroborate it. The Modulor is a myth, so it is recommended to stop including it like a database or an anthropometric manual. As a human-scale option, it might be helpful for design learning as an incorrect criteria example.
The dimensions of houses in accordance with housing law, rules and regulations in Mexico are established based on standards without a precise basis in anthropometric requirements. Therefore, equal house prototypes are built in different regions of the country, although the physical characteristics of people are dissimilar. Education and strategies in architect formation require adapted information for house design. Given this scenario, the study's objective is to contrast such metric standardization with the volume of personal space delimited by body segments of population samples in three regions of Mexico. For this, an anthropometric database was generated, considering body mass, height, reach, body mass index, and personal space. Data are integrated concerning minimum dimensions of areas established in the minimum housing regulations, and necessary furniture measures are incorporated. Measurements were sorted by a given number of cases from each city. Similarities and differences between anthropometric data in the samples of three cities and the information that must be considered in the architectonic design were shown. When comparing minimum normative dimensions with anthropometric data and necessary furniture measurements, some volumetric discrepancies are evident. The Housing Law requires humanization, focusing on the inhabitants, their requirements and characteristics as added values of adequate housing. This paper is a new way to introduce the parametric analysis and consideration in Mexico and a basis for laws development.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.