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Human Body & Space
The relationship between architecture and the human body has a long history. As a form of shelter, architecture provides thermoregulation for the human body, protecting it from outside climatic conditions. Thinking of the building as a piece of clothing that wraps us or provides a second skin, as an extension of our bodies has played a significant role in architectural discourse. Indra Kagis McEwen, in her book on architectural beginnings, argues through etymological, literary, and visual references that there are multiple parallels between weaving and designing buildings and town planning. They share the same desire to create order.
Leonardo da Vinci, Vitruvian Man, ca. 1492.
The other strand in the relationship of architecture and the human body is in the study of proportions. The fascination of anthropometric proportions of the human body historically has been discussed in metaphysical terms. In the first century BCE, the proportions of the human body were described by Vitruvius as the reference for designing “perfect buildings.” After outlining the proportions of the body parts, he presents a geometric depiction of the so-called “Vitruvian man”:
For if a man, be placed flat on his back, with his hands and feet extended, and a pair of compasses centered at his navel, the fingers, and toes of his two hands and feet will touch the circumference of a circle described therefrom. And just as the human body yields a circular outline, so too a square figure may be found from it. For if we measure the distance from the soles of the feet to the top of the head, and then apply that measure to the outstretched arms, the breadth will be found to be the same as the height, as in the case of plane surfaces which are perfectly square.
Toddlers learn with their bodies, and insertion is a spatial exploration strategy.
The rediscovery of Vitruvius’s writings in the fifteenth century played a key role in the art and architectural discourse of the Renaissance. In their conviction to create harmony in buildings through a system of mathematical ratios, Renaissance architects mirrored the proportions of the human body in their designs—a direct influence of Vitruvian thinking. The human body was seen as “the image of God” and “the proportions of his body are produced by divine will, so the proportions in architecture have to embrace and express the cosmic order.”
The sinuous forms of the playscapes encourage spatial exploration and help develop gross motor skills.
It is important to highlight that the emphasis on the ideal human figure is referenced as the adult Western male body. There is extensive critical writing about the emphasis on canonizing this body as the ideal human being. When considered from the perspective of human development, however, building a discourse on the adult body overlooks an array of relationships that develop throughout different stages of development. We relate to the physical environment with our bodies, our perception of space is through our bodies, and at no time in human development is the relationship of the body and the physical environment more visceral than during early childhood.
Learning to balance in the Avenues New York Small World egg niche.
Toddlers learn with their bodies. Putting objects into their mouths, banging on objects, tucking themselves into nooks and crannies are all part of their exploratory strategies, and an integral part of their developmental process. Insertion, especially, is a common spatial exploration strategy for this age group. For instance, “when infants and toddlers learn to isolate one finger without extending the others, they begin to explore by insertion. They explore objects by putting fingers in objects or running fingers along their outside edges. As children explore, they also insert other body parts (hands, feet, legs, head, etc.) and their entire bodies into objects.” The spaces that allow for insertions of their bodies create a fun learning environment for toddlers.
Related Conjectures
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