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    Pages From Life Between Buildings Using Public Space - Gehl-Small Scale

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    Sandra Costa
    Small spaces tend to be perceived as warm and intimate because they allow people to see and hear each other closely. The details of other people and the space can be experienced. Large spaces are seen as cold and impersonal as they distance people. Different social distances define appropriate distances for different types of interactions, from intimate to public. Architectural spaces that are modest in scale and allow close experiences between people and details are seen as warm, while large, high-speed spaces impose distance and are seen as cold. The scale and speed of automotive cities versus pedestrian cities also influence the ability to experience details of people and places. Life and meaningful social interactions are best experienced at slower, pedestrian scales that allow time to see and process visual

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    Pages From Life Between Buildings Using Public Space - Gehl-Small Scale

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    Sandra Costa
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    Small spaces tend to be perceived as warm and intimate because they allow people to see and hear each other closely. The details of other people and the space can be experienced. Large spaces are seen as cold and impersonal as they distance people. Different social distances define appropriate distances for different types of interactions, from intimate to public. Architectural spaces that are modest in scale and allow close experiences between people and details are seen as warm, while large, high-speed spaces impose distance and are seen as cold. The scale and speed of automotive cities versus pedestrian cities also influence the ability to experience details of people and places. Life and meaningful social interactions are best experienced at slower, pedestrian scales that allow time to see and process visual

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    Small spaces tend to be perceived as warm and intimate because they allow people to see and hear each other closely. The details of other people and the space can be experienced. Large spaces are seen as cold and impersonal as they distance people. Different social distances define appropriate distances for different types of interactions, from intimate to public. Architectural spaces that are modest in scale and allow close experiences between people and details are seen as warm, while large, high-speed spaces impose distance and are seen as cold. The scale and speed of automotive cities versus pedestrian cities also influence the ability to experience details of people and places. Life and meaningful social interactions are best experienced at slower, pedestrian scales that allow time to see and process visual

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    40 views5 pages

    Pages From Life Between Buildings Using Public Space - Gehl-Small Scale

    Uploaded by

    Sandra Costa
    Small spaces tend to be perceived as warm and intimate because they allow people to see and hear each other closely. The details of other people and the space can be experienced. Large spaces are seen as cold and impersonal as they distance people. Different social distances define appropriate distances for different types of interactions, from intimate to public. Architectural spaces that are modest in scale and allow close experiences between people and details are seen as warm, while large, high-speed spaces impose distance and are seen as cold. The scale and speed of automotive cities versus pedestrian cities also influence the ability to experience details of people and places. Life and meaningful social interactions are best experienced at slower, pedestrian scales that allow time to see and process visual

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    small dimensions equal warm, intimate spaces

    Distances are used to connote different


    relationships among people. Such phrases
    as “close friends” and “keeping an arm’s
    distance from someone” indicate the degree
    of intimacy achieved. Correspondingly,
    small spaces tend to be perceived as warm
    and personal. The small dimensions make
    it possible to see and hear other people,
    and in small spaces, the details as well
    as the whole can be enjoyed. Conversely,
    large spaces are perceived as cold and
    impersonal. Buildings as well as people are
    “kept at a distance.”

    Left: London Court, Perth, West­australia.


    Below: La Défense, Paris.

    68
    social distances In The Hidden Dimension [23] Edward T. Hall defines a number of
    social distances, that is to say, customary distances for different
    forms of communication in the Western European and Ameri­
    can cultural sphere.
    Intimate distance (0 to 45 centimeters – 0 to 1½ ft.) is the ­distance
    at which intense feelings are expressed: tenderness, comfort, love,
    and also strong anger.
    Personal distance (0.45 to 1.30 meters – 1½ to 4½ ft.) is the
    ­conversation distance between close friends and family. An
    ­example is the distance between people at the family dinner
    ­table.
    Social distance (1.30 to 3.75 meters – 4½ to 12 ft.) is the ­distance
    for ordinary conversation among friends, acquaintances, neigh-
    bors, co-workers, and so on. The sofa group with armchairs and
    a coffee table is a physical expression of this social distance.
    Finally, public distance (greater than 3.75 meters – 12 ft.) is
    ­defined as the distance used in more formal situations – around
    public figures or in teaching situations with one-way communi-
    cation or when someone wants to hear or see an event but does
    not wish to become involved.

    small and large The relationship between distance and intensity, closeness and
    dimensions warmth, in various contact situations has an important parallel
    in the prevalent perception of architectural dimensions. In cities
    and building projects of modest dimensions, narrow streets, and
    small spaces, the buildings, building details, and the people who
    move about in the spaces are experienced at close range and
    with considerable intensity. These cities and spaces are compa­
    rably perceived as intimate, warm, and personal. Conversely,
    building projects with large spaces, wide streets, and tall build-
    ings often are felt to be cold and impersonal.

    time to experience In addition to the requirement that objects and events be near
    eye level in order to be perceived, and to the requirements
    ­imposed by the limited range of human vision, another impor-
    tant factor in experiencing others is that there must be a
    ­reasonable amount of time in which to see and process visual
    impressions.
    The organs of sense are for the most part designed to perceive
    and process the details and impressions that are received at
    ­walking and running speed, that is, 5 to 15 kilometers per hour
    (3 to 9 mph). If the speed of movement is increased, the­
    possibility of discerning details and processing meaningful ­so-
    cial ­information drops sharply. A somber illustration of this
    69
    car city scale/pedestrian city scale
    The size of the cars and,
    ­especially, the speed of
    movement create substantial
    differences between automobile
    cities and pedestrian cities. In
    order to make buildings and
    signs visible to vehicular traffic,
    coarse design and huge symbols,
    are required.
    Loud, coarse 50-mile-per-hour
    architecture is evident in Ameri­
    can “burger strips,” with their
    strained pizza palaces, gas
    stations, and oversized signals.
    However, the conflict between
    the two scales is present when­
    ever fast and slow modes of
    traffic share the same spaces.

    70
    time to experience

    Slow speeds, small dimensions,


    and careful detailing are closely
    interrelated.
    Above: Marken, Holland.
    Right: Copenhagen, Denmark.

    phenomenon can be observed on highways, where traffic often


    comes to a standstill in both lanes when there is an accident in
    one, because drivers in the other lane reduce their speed to 5
    miles per hour to see what has happened. Another example is the
    slide presentation in which slides are changed too quickly, until
    the audience demands a slower tempo in order to “see what’s
    going on.”
    When two people walk toward each other, approximately
    thirty seconds pass from the time they see or recognize each
    other until they meet. During this entire period, the mass of
    ­information and degree of detail perceived increase gradually,
    giving each person time to react to the situation. If this reaction
    time is critically ­reduced, the ability to perceive and respond to
    the situation ­disappears, as is the case when a car quickly passes
    a hitchhiker on the road.

    automobile city scale If people who move quickly are to be able to perceive objects and
    – pedestrian city scale people, representations must be enlarged greatly.
    Therefore the automobile city and the pedestrian city have
    quite different sizes and dimensions. In the automobile city,
    signs and billboards must be very big and bold to be seen.
    ­Buildings are comparably large and poor in detail, since these
    cannot be seen in any case. And the faces and facial expressions
    of human beings are too small in scale to be perceived at all.
    71
    life takes place on foot It is important that all meaningful social activities, intense
    ­experiences, conversations, and caresses take place when people
    are standing, sitting, lying down, or walking. One can catch a
    brief glimpse of others from a car or from a train window, but life
    takes place on foot. Only “on foot” does a situation function as a
    meaningful opportunity for contact and information in which
    the individual is at ease and able to take time to experience,
    pause, or become involved.

    physical planning for If the possibilities and limitations related to the senses are
    isolation and contact ­summarized, it appears that there are five different means with
    which architects and planners either can promote or prevent
    ­isolation and contact.

    isolation contact

    walls no walls
    long distances short distances
    high speeds low speeds
    multiple levels one level
    orientation away from others orientation toward others

    By working with these five principles individually or in combina-


    tions, it is possible to establish the physical prerequisites for
    ­isolation and contact, respectively.

    Life takes place on foot.


    (Pedestrian priority street,
    Copenhagen, Denmark.)

    72

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