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Human Dimension & Interior Space: A Source Book of Design Reference Standards

Human Dimension and Interior Space: A Source Book of Design Reference Standards – A Review

If you are a designer, an architect, a builder, or a student of design, you might have wondered how to create spaces that are comfortable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing for the people who use them. How do you determine the optimal height of a table, the width of a doorway, the clearance of a staircase, or the layout of a kitchen? How do you account for the diversity of human body sizes, shapes, and abilities? How do you design for different age groups, cultures, and preferences?

These are some of the questions that Human Dimension and Interior Space, a classic book by Julius Panero and Martin Zelnik, aims to answer. First published in 1979, this book is the first major anthropometrically based reference book of design standards for interior spaces. It is based on extensive research and data from various sources, including government studies, academic publications, and industry standards. It provides a comprehensive overview of anthropometrics, the study of human body measurements on a comparative basis, and its applicability to the design process.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the theory and application of anthropometrics and includes a special section dealing with physically disabled and elderly people. It provides the designer with the fundamentals of anthropometrics and a basic understanding of how interior design standards are established. The second part contains easy-to-read, illustrated anthropometric tables, which provide the most current data available on human body size, organized by age and percentile groupings. Also included is data relative to the range of joint motion and body sizes of children. The third part contains hundreds of dimensioned drawings, illustrating in plan and section the proper anthropometrically based relationship between user and space. The types of spaces range from residential and commercial to recreational and institutional, and all dimensions include metric conversions.

In the epilogue, the authors challenge the interior design profession, the building industry, and the furniture manufacturer to seriously explore the problem of adjustability in design. They expose the fallacy of designing to accommodate the so-called average man, who, in fact, does not exist. They argue that design should be flexible and adaptable to the individual needs and preferences of the users, rather than imposing rigid and uniform standards.

What are the benefits of reading this book?

Reading this book can benefit you in several ways, such as:

  • It can help you to create spaces that are more comfortable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing for the people who use them.
  • It can help you to avoid common design errors and mistakes that can result in discomfort, inconvenience, or even injury for the users.
  • It can help you to improve your design skills and knowledge by providing you with reliable and up-to-date data and information on human body dimensions and spatial requirements.
  • It can help you to understand the diversity and variability of human body sizes, shapes, and abilities, and to design for different age groups, cultures, and preferences.
  • It can help you to appreciate the importance of anthropometrics and ergonomics in the design process and to apply them in a practical and effective way.

What are the limitations of this book?

While this book is a valuable and authoritative resource for designers, it is not without its limitations, such as:

  • It is not a substitute for good design or sound professional judgment. It should be viewed as one of the many tools required in the design process, not as the sole or definitive source of design standards.
  • It is not a comprehensive or exhaustive guide to all aspects of interior design. It focuses mainly on the physical fit, or interface, between the human body and the various components of interior space, but it does not cover other important factors such as aesthetics, psychology, sociology, culture, environment, technology, or economics.
  • It is not a static or fixed document. It is based on the data and information available at the time of its publication, which may change or become outdated over time. It is also influenced by the assumptions and perspectives of the authors, which may not reflect the current or future trends or needs of the design profession or the users.
  • It is not a universal or absolute guide to design. It is based on the data and information collected from mainly Western populations, which may not be applicable or representative of other populations or regions. It also does not account for the individual differences and preferences of the users, which may vary widely depending on their personal, social, and situational factors.

How to use this book effectively?

To use this book effectively, you should:

  • Read it carefully and critically, and understand its purpose, scope, and limitations.
  • Use it as a reference and a guide, not as a rulebook or a cookbook. Do not blindly follow or copy the standards or examples given in the book, but adapt them to your specific design problem and context.
  • Use it as a starting point, not as an ending point. Do not rely solely on the data and information provided in the book, but supplement them with your own research, observation, experimentation, and evaluation.
  • Use it as a tool, not as a goal. Do not let the data and information dictate your design, but use them to inform and support your design decisions and judgments.
  • Use it as a means, not as an end. Do not forget that the ultimate goal of design is to create spaces that are comfortable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing for the people who use them, not to conform to the numbers or drawings in the book.

Conclusion

Human Dimension and Interior Space is a classic and influential book that provides a comprehensive overview of anthropometrics and its applicability to the design process. It is a valuable and authoritative resource for designers, architects, builders, and students of design, who can benefit from its reliable and up-to-date data and information on human body dimensions and spatial requirements. However, it is not a substitute for good design or sound professional judgment, and it should be used with care and caution, taking into account its purpose, scope, and limitations. It is not a comprehensive or exhaustive guide to all aspects of interior design, nor is it a universal or absolute guide to design. It is a tool that can help designers to create spaces that are more comfortable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing for the people who use them, but it is not the goal of design itself.

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