It is often difficult to point at what it is that makes a building look good but intuitively, we know when buildings feel ‘right’, this is because they are proportioned. Good proportions are more easily achieved when designers apply a clear measuring system that establishes mathematical relationships between the parts. This traditional approach to designing ‘in proportion’ can help rationalise façades, making buildings more legible and easier to interpret.

Contemporary architecture is designed using decimal metric systems, as opposed to the historic imperial approach. This needs to be considered when designing new façades next to historic buildings to ensure proposals are in proportion with their setting and that they are sympathetic to neighbouring buildings. For this reason, it is good practice to understand the proportions of adjacent buildings and to fully consider the whole streetscape proportions before arriving at a proposal.

Good proportions help create façades with components that follow clear design rules, giving each part a relative hierarchy. In classical architecture, the dimensions of all the component parts of a façade and the separation between components, follow a mathematical rule. Good contemporary design also applies these principles. Historic buildings were designed using imperial measurements whilst contemporary architecture tends to use the metric system. Good designers emphasise the relative hierarchy of some of the components over others, for example, main entrances stand out and have more intricate detail or interest. Most historic buildings in Nottingham have an enhanced ground floor, which was often the retail space. The floors above also have relative hierarchy, mainly given by the size of openings and their separation, and the application of detail.

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A Beginners’ Guide to Urban Design and Development (Chapter 5)