Skip to main content

Anthropometrics

                       Source
I can distinctly remember the time between fourth and fifth grade when I grew an unfortunate foot seemingly overnight. Both the desks and the boys in my classrooms were just too short for me and I had accepted the fact that I was bound to be a starter on my middle school’s basketball team. Well, I was wrong and today at 5’3” I am pretty average to the rest of my female peers. But thinking back to the time when my legs scraped the desk tops, I wonder why a greater set of anthropometrics wasn’t taken into consideration in the design of my elementary school classroom. Anthropometrics is “the study of human body measurements on a comparative basis… its applicability to the design process is seen in the physical fit, or interface, between the human body and the various components of interior space” (Panero, Zelnik). Anthropometrics is a part of the design of everything we use in a room. It is evident in spaces that we frequent, especially public spaces, that the design was intended for people with different anthropometrics than others. 

    As I am writing this, I am sitting opposite my friend in a small coffee shop in Asheville.  She is a few inches shorter than me and we share a similar stature. As soon as we entered the coffee shop, we both found ourselves drawn to the bench/chair sitting arrangement as it most appealing among the tall counters and barstools. After sitting here for a while, I tried to cross my legs, but noticed the bench was too close to the table for me to do so, although the girl sitting right next to me on the bench can comfortably cross hers with ease. Also, I can easily rest my arms upon the table to type, without stretching my back unlike my friend who has to stretch to reach her latte. A few feet to the left of us, a man sits in the barstool at the counter and is obviously extending his arms to reach his laptop without slumping over. Opposite of him in the coffee shop, another man is sitting at the identical counter and barstools, but this time he is slumped over to do his work and his legs reach the height of the counter. In the front of the store, the ordering counter reaches the waist of just about every patron that has entered the shop, not including the children. Every worker and customer has bent over to receive or give money back, and it is an awkward height for both sides of the transaction. Although behind the counter, the work station comes up to a comfortable height for the baristas to make their perfect brews. This quick day trip provided many opportunities to see how anthropometrics is used in various public spaces.

Resources 
Panero, J., & Zelnik, M. (2014, November 21). Human Dimension & Interior Space: A Source Book of Design Reference Standards. Retrieved from http://www.idsa.org/bookshelf/human-interaction/human-dimension-interior-space-source-book-design-reference-standards  



Comments

  1. Liv November 11, 2018 at 8:16 PM

    You explained anthropometrics so well. Using your real life pictures as examples simplified it so much and made me see anthropometrics in a real life way. Great Job Aubrey!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Design Philosophy

    Source Thinking back on the remarks and compliments I’ve treasured the most in my life- whether they be from a teacher I had a lot respect for or even my best friend, they all praise my work ethic. Being a people pleaser, I have always strived to work the hardest and get everything done to help others out. This has followed me everywhere, from my professional life to my personal life and has helped me be the person I am today. Contrastingly, being the daughter of the two most carefree and laid-back people in the world, I know how to step back and let myself relax, when the time is right.  My favorite relaxing spot I try to live by “Work Hard, Play Hard.”  I have always had a strong work ethic and find myself surrounded by commitments and things that I need to get done, and since coming to college, that has only increased immensely.  I am attracted to spaces that promote work- the downstairs snack bar at my parents’ house, the makeshi...
4 comments
Read more

Prospect and Refuge

Prospect and refuge is found within the spaces we frequent every day. In stores, on campus, and even in our own homes. Prospect and refuge itself is the “theory that seeks to describe why certain environments feel secure and thereby meet basic human psychological needs (Dosen & Ostwald). It’s how we look for spaces to make us feel safe when we are in large, open areas. Once you begin to pay attention to the spaces around you, you will notice how each space provides a prospect and a refuge.                                     Source For me, the first place I think of when I think prospect and refuge is the boutique I work at. The front of the store has large glass windows that allow both the customers and employees to see in and out. There is no privacy created with these windows therefore providing full prospect for whoever wants to see in or out of the store. In contrast, the refu...
3 comments
Read more

Control Theory

sketch by me     The spaces around us define how we feel, move, and interact with others. While the way a person moves and interacts in a space is often determined by the design of the area, the way one feels is left entirely up to the person’s individual feelings towards control theory. Control theory is the sense of control that one has over the spaces the occupy.  Control theory consists of three parts 1. Behavioral control 2. Cognitive control 3. Decisional control.  Together, these three parts control how we feel about the spaces we live and interact in. Behavioral Control    Source     By definition, behavioral control is the ability for one to “change [their] behavior to the desired behavior” (Nugent). This means a person can change the environment that they are in. I see this in myself as a child, as I went through many different phases of toys that I loved, and would change up my bedroom to match whatever toy I ...
1 comment
Read more