Abstract

Derived from nature as one of the first manifestations of the dwelling environment, there are similar laws, principles or patterns used to recur in both traditional and vernacular man-made structures to create emotional as well as physical comfort for the inhabitants. According to Nikos Salingaros, these patterns leading to beauty are present in architectural efforts of all times including Classic, Gothic, Islamic and Eastern built environments until the 20th century’s Modernism movement in which a complete opposite view towards architecture as an arts and science was assumed as the core concept. One of the most fundamental principles of nature which is also present in traditional structures is the proper use of scaling which leads to proportion and harmony; the Fibonacci sequence as the fundamental concept of fractals, the Da Vinci’s Vitruvius Man and the measurement systems of ancient architectural knowledge are all manifestations of the idea which accounts scale and proportion more important than the mere measurement of the individual components of the whole design complex. Therefore it seems that regardless of assuming one international measurement scaling for the standardization of all architectural efforts, derived from the traditional measurement systems, the scale itself should be considered more substantially leading to structural order; since order is the dominant factor in the whole universe and is present in all nature leading to beauty and proportion. Thus applying the principles of traditional scaling systems may lead to buildings with beauty in both architectural societies as well as the users’ points of views.