Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
5
What Is scale, Why Is It
Important, and hoW Is It Used?
In this chapter you will learn about:
The many meanings of the word “scale”
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The reasons for scaled drawings
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How to choose the right scale for a drawing
•
Principles for reading a topographic map
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Scale: a Word of Several MeaningS
The word “scale” has at least three meanings in design. The wooden or plastic
instrument we learned to call a “ruler” in kindergarten is referred to as a scale
in landscape architecture, engineering, and architecture. In its first meaning, the
word “scale” refers to the device we use for measuring, to guide the designer in
creating a plan or detail on paper or computer. The second meaning of the word
“scale” refers to proportions—that is, a means of representing the actual dimen-
sions of say a building by a drawing that fits on a sheet of paper. A third mean-
ing of “scale” refers to the size of an object relative to the size of a person. In
this case, when we use the word “scale,” as in “the wall height is in scale with
people,” we mean that the height of the wall is not overwhelming relative to the
space and the people using the space.
The pattern of the campus walkway shown in Figure 5.1, located in the
central quad on the UCLA campus, was designed by early twentieth-century
landscape architect Ralph Cornell, with the intent of incorporating selected
