INDEX

1. Human Dimensions

2. Human Posture

3. Space for Human

4. Proportion and scale

5. Furniture
Anthropometry refers to the measurement of the size and
proportions of the human body.
Thought-out history several findings have emerged that show
how human body was used and is in use as an instrument for
measurement. The architects of the Renaissance saw the
proportions of the human figure as a reaffirmation that certain
mathematical ratios reflected the harmony of the universe. The
proportional systems of the Egyptian pharaohs and
relationships of the human being was discovered in a burial
chamber among the pyramids near Memphis.
Anthropometry promotes methods seek not abstract or
symbolic ratios, but functional ones. They are predicated on the
theory that forms and spaces in architecture are either
containers or extensions of the human body and should
therefore be determined by its dimensions.
The difficulty with anthropometry is the nature of the data
required for its use. Average dimensions must always be
treated with caution since variations from the norm will always
exist due to the difference between men and women, among
various age and racial groups, even from one individual to the
next.
1. Human Dimensions
All the systems that have
been discovered from around
the world, the human body
was measured according to
lengths of head, face or foot,
which were than later sub-
divided and related to each
other so that they were
applicable in everyday life.
Even into our own times, the
foot and the arm's length
have remained common
measures.
The dimensions and proportions of the human body affect the
proportion of things we handle, the height and distance of things
we try to reach, and the dimensions of the furnishings we use
for sitting, working, eating, and sleeping. There is a difference
between our structural dimensions and those dimensional
requirements that result from how we reach for something on
a shelf, sit down at a table, walk down a set of stairs, or interact
with other people. These are functional dimensions and will vary
according to the nature of the activity engaged in and the social
situation. A special field that has developed from a concern with
human factors is ergonomics—the applied science that
coordinates the design of devices, systems, and environments
with our physiological and psychological capacities and
requirements.
2. Human Posture
3. Space For Human
The variety of human activity that occurs within residential
spaces is formidable. It is within this single environment that
people sleep, dine, relax, meditate, entertain do housework,
read, cook, bathe, in some cases are born or die. It is also within
these spaces that people spend at least half of their waking
hours and are subjected to most of the physical injuries they
are likely to sustain during the course of their lifetime.
The impressive number and diversity of functions that must take
place within this single environment, the extended period of
time that people spend within it, and their vulnerability to fatigue
and accidents give the quality of their interface with that
environment added significance. Another factor that makes the
quality of interface even more critical is the decrease in the size
of residential spaces available on today’s market due to the
increasing costs of both construction and land.
As a consequence of these external economic factors, it
becomes necessary in many cases to maximize the utilization
of existing space to the greatest degree possible. In some
instances, this involves innovative ways of perceiving both the
problem and the design solution.
 3.1. Living Space
The various activities and elements of furniture usually
associated with living spaces result in many levels of interface
between the human body and the physical components of the
space.
The most obvious is between the user and the chair or sofa. In
this regard seat height must take into consideration popliteal
height, while seat depth must be responsive to buttock-
popliteal length. Circulation around seating elements must
accommodate maximum body breadth, while the location of a
coffee table in relation to a chair should be responsive to human
reach dimensions. The height at which a painting is hung on a
wall should be determined in relationship to eye height.
The possibilities are almost endless and the drawings on the
following pages explore only a few of the many design
situations that require knowledge of human dimensions.
 3.2. Dining Space
The various activities and elements of furniture usually
associated with living spaces result in many levels of interface
between the human body and the physical components of the
space.
The most obvious is between the user and the chair or sofa. In
this regard seat height must take into consideration popliteal
height, while seat depth must be responsive to buttock-
popliteal length. Circulation around seating elements must
accommodate maximum body breadth, while the location of a
coffee table in relation to a chair should be responsive to human
reach dimensions. The height at which a painting is hung on a
wall should be determined in relationship to eye height.
The possibilities are almost endless and the drawings on the
following pages explore only a few of the many design
situations that require knowledge of human dimensions.
 3.3. Sleeping Space
The drawing on the following page explores the relationship of
human dimension to the various components of sleeping
spaces, the most obvious being the bed itself, both in its
conventional form and in its overhead space-saving design.
Questions that follow, need to be answered building an effective
space.
Is there adequate space around the bed not only to circulate but
to make it or vacuum under it? Is there adequate clearance
between the bed and a dresser, with a drawer extended for
circulation? If a view to the exterior of the space is important,
what impact does the sill height have on the sight lines with the
human body in a reclining position? In the design of a bunk or
loft bed, how much clearance is required from the top of the
lower bed to the bottom of the bed above to accommodate the
human body in a seated position? How much clearance should
be allowed between rows of hanging garments in a walk-in
closet for comfortable human access? How high should a
storage shelf be located to be within reach? How high should
the mirror be over a dressing table for comfortable use?
 3.4. Cooking Space
The height of a kitchen work counter, the proper clearance
between cabinets or appliances for circulation, the accessibility
to overhead or undercounter storage, and proper visibility are
among the primary considerations in the design of cooking
spaces. All must be responsive to human dimension and body
size if the quality of interface between the user and the
components of the interior space are to be adequate. In
establishing clearances between counters, the maximum body
breadth and depth of the user of larger body size must be taken
into account as well as the projections of the appliances.
Refrigerator doors, cabinet drawers, dishwashing machine
doors, and cabinet doors all project to some degree in their
open position into the space within which the user must
circulate and must be accommodated.
 3.5. Bathrooms
One of the examples of a design situation where little
consideration is given to the relationship of human dimension
and body size to the designed environment can be found in
practically every bathroom, private and public.
Few designers, builders, and users give any thought to the
height above the floor of a lavatory.
4. Proportion And Scale
Proportion
It is the dimensional relationship of one part to another or to the
whole, described in terms of a ratio. In nature, each species has
normal proportional relationships between the parts; thus, a
human head is about 1/8 of a person’s height and the distance
across outstretched arms is equal to the height of the body.
In the human-designed world of architecture, the “right”
proportions are those that ancient scholars thought created
visual harmony among the parts, based on mathematical ratios
found throughout nature, such as 1:√2 and A:B = B:(A+B), as well
as basic geometric shapes such as squares, circles, and
triangles.
Classical Greek and Roman architecture were obsessed with
getting all the parts into prescribed proportions, in the belief
that using these naturally occurring ratios would harmonize the
design with universal, divine Truths.
Scale
Scale is the relative size of individual elements compared to
each other and to a reference measurement. We develop a
sense of scale as we experience the world, learning the relative
size of people, trees, bugs, dogs, football fields, and everything
else we regularly encounter. In buildings, we use the human
body as the main reference, measuring the individual parts of a
room – doors, windows, ceiling height, and details – against our
own size and relative to each other. Descriptions such as
“intimate scale,” “grand scale,” and of course “human scale” are
all based on how we visually understand a building relative to
ourselves.
5. Furniture
The man uses the furniture and depends on it in his life, so
throughout history, furniture has improved the quality of life of
humans. Even in primitive ages, humans used stones in their
caves as furniture. At some point in time, human recognized
that wood was easy to cut and shape, and it became the most
important component of furniture. After the industrial
revolution, furniture production greatly increased and became
more available to all classes of the population — rather than
only the elite — as production progressed from a craft-based
to a machine-based industry. Not surprisingly, these
improvements in production and ease of acquisition brought
increases in consumption not only to meet basic first-time
needs, but also to replace old furniture with new "stylish"
furniture. With research and advancement in technology,
furniture with different specifications matching to various
activities of the man and achieving comfortable sitting to
maintain his physical and psychological aspects

The following are the furniture design principle-