As Monty Python famously once said, “And now for something completely different”. This series is my opportunity to explore my curiosity with the principles articulated in Christopher Alexander’s A Pattern Language and his latest work The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and The Nature of the Universe. I intend to use the Disney theme parks as my lab to better understand those principles. So please indulge me as I think out loud. You bought the ticket; let’s go for the ride.
Levels of Scale: A balanced range of sizes that is pleasing and beautiful.
Levels of scale are one of the 15 fundamental design patterns that enhance the degree of life in objects, buildings, and spaces. These 15 fundamental properties help to make these items meaningful and relevant.
Why do some objects seem to have a higher degree of life than others? What sets them apart? Why do some spaces seem to feel like a pair of your favorite shoes while others just want to give you blisters? Just as challenging, where do you start if you want to describe to others why that object or space is acceptable, exceptional or regrettable?
One of the most obvious, therefore one of the most overlooked elements is scale. The scale of an object or space is one of the first things we note. Christopher Alexander suggests that objects and spaces that work “tend to have a beautiful range of sizes, and that these sizes exist at a series of well-marked levels, with definite jumps between them”. The power comes when you take an object (a sculpture, furniture, a building) and organize the design elements into a composition of progressively larger and smaller elements. When those elements are properly proportioned to the adjacent elements they will support and strengthen each other. This will ultimately embellish, enhance, and intensify that object or space.
The scale of one element must respect the size of the adjacent element or you get that feeling that something isn’t right. For those who need numbers, sometimes these levels of scale between elements can be expressed as a ratio. Christopher Alexander suggests the size relationship is best “at a scale which is perhaps half its size, or twice its size.” He adds that you can continue “to intensify a given center, we need to make another center perhaps half or quarter the size of the first”. When the levels of scale are right, the object will feel natural, have an inherent beauty, and sometimes have the intensity that is usually measured with your jaw dropping and a subtle moan of “wow” will escape from your lips.
Let me apply this concept to a familiar large-scale object - Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. For those who experienced WDW’s Magic Kingdom first and then went on to visit Disneyland, I am sure you are of one mind; Disneyland’s castle is so small!
Of course, the most obvious physical difference is the height of the structures. Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle tops out at 77 feet. The Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle reaches 189 feet into the sky. But I argue that it is the proper use of levels of scale is central to the success of the building.
To understand how this design pattern applies to Cinderella Castle, we have to do a little mental demolition. Strip away all of the turrets, the fancy roofs, and the incredible layers of architectural detail. What you are left with are two boxes with a cone stacked upon each other.
The two boxes are perfectly proportioned to each other and reinforce the overall composition of the Castle. From the front elevation, the box at the base is 2 times as wide as it is tall. A 2:1 ratio. The top box is a square. Each box intensifies the life of the other box. Working together the base becomes weighty and firmly planted on the ground and the tower is a soaring and lofty thing.
Smoothing the transition between the boxes are the numerous turrets and battlements that line the upper edge of the base. These turrets create a baseline of scale and the turrets continually adjusted as you move upward. All of the turrets above the baseline use forced perspective to heighten the verticality. On top of the upper box is the over stretched Mansard roof. This also adds to the illusion and hides the top of the upper structure.
Finally, the most memorable element of Cinderella Castle for many is the tallest spire. Functionally, this is the focal point of the Magic Kingdom and visible throughout the park. It starts on top of the base and extends well beyond the top box.
The great architect Louis Sullivan said, tall buildings need to be “lofty”. He went on to say that “It must be tall, every inch of it tall. The force and power of altitude must be in it”. He concludes that “it must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exultation that from top to bottom it is a unit without a single dissenting line”
Notice how the tallest spire reaches from the base all the way to the sky unimpeded? The power of the tallest spire is caused by the progression of the other lesser spires. The sheer wall is also broken up with minor jumps in scale and that articulation adds visual interest. All of this combined allows the tallest spire to emerge as the strong center and your eyes are motivated to move upward through a hierarchy of layers of various scale; each element supporting the center and giving that center preference.
Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle is a wonderful thing but it does not possess the same elegance as the Magic Kingdom’s icon. This isn’t simply about forced perspective and size isn’t everything. This castle simply possesses great levels of scale.
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