Home Architecture Talk

what is the law of numbers as it applies to design, architecture, and why so?

why are certain buildings and interior designs pleasing to us? i heard of some sort of relationship of numbers, a so called law of numbers, that applies to architecture and design, because it is repeated again and again in nature. please tell me about this 'law of numbers,' and show me diagrams in links, as well as examples of, how the law of numbers is found in nature, therefore, how designers and architects follow it? is there any true merit in this? if an architect does not use them, will it cause the structure to have less strength, or less popularity? does this law of numbers also apply in any way to shapes in solar systems / galaxies?

Public Comments

1. type in google and u shld find it
2. I believe you are referring to the Golden Ratio. Wikipedia and "Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land" both do a thorough treatment of this topic, though Wikipedia is probably a bit more convenient to access =)
3. There isn't really a single "law of numbers" that answers everything regarding aesthetics and architecture and what not. Though the golden ratio tends to show up more often in a lot of this, including nature too. Some books I'd suggest on the subject are Mario Livio's "The Golden Ratio", H. E. Huntley's "The Divine Proportion", and Stephen Skinner's "Sacred Geometry".
4. The law of numbers you are referring to is also known as the Fibonacci Numbers, named after Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci. It's a sequence of numbers defined by a recurrence relation, meaning that after two starting values, each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers (for example 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc...). It's primarily focused on proportions and aesthetics, and therefore doesn't necessarily influence structural integrity as such. In design it is used to construct grids to anchor information in a balanced and structured way. Whether or not this is conceived as being pleasing to the eye or overly rigid, is all down to individual perception and cultural background. More in-depth information on the Fibonacci Numbers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number More in-depth information on Leonardo Fibonacci: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci More in-depth information on Fibonacci Numbers in art, architecture and music: http://www.mcs.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibInArt.html
5. Its basically the other pi which is obtained from the fibonacci series in which any term is the sum of 2 preceeding terms. If u find the ratio of 2 consequtive terms of this series at infinity u will get the other pi. So for aesthetic appeal the length/breadth ratio of a room are kept more or less equal to the other pi