Scales:
To make my models, I want my scale to match these requirements:
· The floor map should be big enough to add furniture easily and label items in it.
· The smaller furniture should be able to be cut out and placed without difficulties.
· The normal distances should be divided easily by the scale.
· The scaled distances should not be too complicated to measure using a normal ruler. Ex. 11.45673cm- wrong 11.5/11cm-correct.
I think the most appropriate scales for my models and calculations are
1. 1:20
2. 1:10
3. 1:15
CALCULATIONS:
1:20
METHOD: 1:20= _: 540
We need to find what the_ is as that is what the scaled distance is. To do that we have to divide 540 by 20.
540 / 20= 27
27:540=1:20
I did this with all the furniture and parts of my room.
CHOOSING THE SCALE!
I have chosen 1: 10, 1: 20, and 1: 15 for my scales. I think that choosing 1: 20 is the best because the scaled distances are very easy to make out and unlike the distances of the scale 1: 10, they are a very reasonable and relevant length. The scaled distances of 1: 15 are not accurate as the decimals continue on forever and also because the distances are still too big. With 1: 20, the smallest measurements are still very reasonable and clear, they are not too small and the big furniture of my room is not too big. In the whole floor area, I can label things the furniture itself without having to write in tiny font. I conclude that my models will be made by using the scale of 1: 20.
What I want in my room:
In my room, I want everything to be neat and organised. The room has to be spacey and the furniture has to be kept balanced. By that, I mean that it is not good to have one part of your room cramped with furniture and the other part is totally plain. I want my room to look clean and orderly, not that the furniture is put in such a way that it creates narrow passageways like in a maze. I want full use of my window and light bulbs so my room is efficient in energy use too. I also want my room to be appreciative at the same time. Also the furniture should be arranged in such a way that nobody should get hurt with their corners etc while going around in the room.
Arrangement no-1 (Original room map):
Rating-*** (3/5)
Advantages:
In my original room model, there are a lot of disadvantages and advantages. The advantages are that in my room, everything is placed efficiently so whenever you need something you know where everything is. The whole room is very appreciative and even looks nice but at the same time it is very easy to clean. The study tables are close to the lighting arrangement helps me to study without difficulty. The furniture is placed in such a way that it doesn’t block my movement any time.
Disadvantages:
In my room, the windows are very big but they are not used properly. The light from the window can be used very effectively so that we do not have to open the lights in the daytime. However, our furniture is not placed to let the window light be used. The lights of the room also are not very effective because the furniture is not placed under it or far away from it. When the furniture is placed under the light bulb, you cannot get the light and when it is far away then again the light is not able to reach. The door entrance is blocked a bit by the wardrobe and you cannot run into the room or you will bang your head onto the side of the wardrobe.
Observations:
Ø Whenever we walk into my room the bed is parallel to you
Ø The walking space in my room is U shaped
Arrangement 2:
Rating-**** (4/5)
Advantages:
The advantages of this room layout is that the table- 1 (my table) is in front of the window which will help a lot to me. The sunlight will be totally towards me making it easier for me to study. There is a lot of space in the room and the room layout is balanced. The tables are close together making the people working on it very sociable and if one person is using them all, then he/she will not need to move much. The whole room is spacey and you can reach the book shelf very easily.
Disadvantages:
The disadvantages are that the book shelf is too far away from the tables and it will be inconvenient to go to the shelf all the time. Whenever we will open the door to the closet, the entrance will be blocked which might cause inconvenience in moving around in the room sometimes. The rug will be moved all the time because it is being kept in an open space and it will be annoying to have to place the rug onto the right place all the time.
Observations:
Ø There is a small square area blocked by the tables which can be used to store some things after buying a big box to fit that area.
Ø The walking space is again U shaped.
Arrangement 3:
Rating-* (1/5)
Advantages:
The advantage in this room layout is that the bed is right under the window. This allows you to read a book in the evening (or any day time) without the lights because there is a lot of light directed to the bed from the window. Everything is well set and looks good. The furniture is not too close to each other and is spread out everywhere which lets the room look good.
Disadvantages:
In this room the book shelf is far away from the tables, which are far away themselves. This makes it inconvenient to go to the book shelf all the time. The window is blocked by the bed so you cannot open the window without shifting the bed all the time. The side table which is at the corner has a passageway that is blocked by the cupboard letting the person using the bed come out only one way. This will be very annoying as you sometimes just turn and stand up after waking up and then you have to climb the bed again to get out from the opposite side.
RATINGS:
Original layout: 3/5- The original layout is very efficient but still has a few kinks here and there. The window was not used nicely and the wardrobe was blocking the entrance.
Arrangement 2: 4/5- This arrangement was very efficient and the furniture was placed in a very good manner. This made the room look clean and at the same time it was very efficient. The only problem was that the book shelf was too far away from the tables.
Arrangement 3: 1/5- The arrangement 3 was not so good because we lost access to the window totally and the room looked bad and crowded. The wardrobe was too close to table-2 and the book shelf was still too far.
Reflection:
Overall I think that the arrangement 2 is the best layout because it is very balanced. This means that it is suitable for many activities without changing the furniture. You can play in the room or have a party but also study at the same time. The room also looks cosy and the furniture is placed very nicely to create space in the room everywhere. The bed is also placed in a good manner because the wardrobe is close to the bed and the book shelf is also close to it. This will make the user use the book shelf without walking much.
The other arrangements are not so user friendly and flexible in use but they still are good. The arrangement 2 can still improve because whenever we open the wardrobe door the entrance will be blocked and the book shelf is not close to the tables making it inconvenient while studying.
What I could improve on:
I could’ve tried to challenge myself and find the distances and angles of irregular shapes to make my room more specific which will help me decide which arrangement would be most effective. I also could’ve tried to measure circular objects to make my models even more specific.
I could have improved by making my models much more colourful and attractive so it would be nice to look at it. I could have also tried to measure the height so I could make 3-D models of my room.
I could improve by making the floor plan of the room models by cardboard so it could be thicker and stronger. I could have tried to be more critical in my analysis and observations.
I can improve next time by testing many scales so I might find a scale better than what I have.
How we use scales in real life:
Scales are a very important thing in building structures because we need to plan the design by creating scaled models of the building to see what we can do inside the building and what will be the most efficient building plan.
Many people nowadays look forward to Feng-shui to improve their business and residential premises. The architects who need to build the Feng-shui models need to make scaled drawings of the room/space to figure and plan out how big the Feng-shui models will be in real life.
Scales are used in engineering because you need to scale a big area of space to plan where and how you are going to build a road or highway. Scales are also used in atlases because we look at scaled pictures of the real distance. You can usually see the scale at the bottom of the page to explain how big the mapped area really is.
People who need scales in their job:
· Engineers- To build roads and highways
· Architects- To plan houses and buildings
· Mappers- To map the world and put it in a book
· Pilots- To know where they are flying. They need to calculate the real distance by the scaled distances to know where they are flying.
· Feng-shui and Vastu-shastra practitioners-To show their clients the best possible arrangements in the house for various remedies
· Interior decorators-To show the clients how to make arraignments which will look the most attractive, beautiful and energy efficient.
