Does the golden ratio exist in architecture?
Gustav Theodor Fechner is psychologist who first conducted a study into human perception of the golden ratio. In 1878, the German asked participants to rate how aesthetically pleasing they found a series of squares (1:1 ratio) through to long rectangles (2.5:1). It was found that the greatest majority selected the rectangle that approximates the golden ratio (1.618:1).
The golden ratio has been discussed at length far before Fechner in the 19th Century. Also known as the Fibonacci sequence, it describes a mathematical pattern where, starting with #1, by adding the previous number, an exponential pattern of numbers occurs. 1+1 = 2; 1+2 = 3; 2+3 = 5; 5+8 = 13; 8+13 = 21, and on it goes. This was named after Leonardo Bonacci, an Italian mathematician from the 12th Century, however has also appeared much earlier in Sanskrit writings.
There are an astounding amount of other patterns that one can extract from this series of numbers, however, the image to the left demonstrates that if you divide one Fibonacci number by the number that immediately precedes it in the sequence, the result is always the golden ratio, getting closer to its actual number the higher the figure.
So where does this leave the effect on architecture? Whilst there have been countless buildings that some have claimed to be rooted in the golden ratio, even Corbusier’s study of Modulor, most seem to only approximate the number by coincidence than by true intention. There is no scientific evidence that supports the presumption that the golden ratio is why we find some buildings beautiful.
Perhaps what is more interesting is to do with visual perception. Psychologist Adrian Bejan discovered in 2009 that spatial arrangement of human eyes allows us to perceive, and therefore understand, stimuli that has the proportion of the golden ratio. Ever wondered why iPad displays are at 3:2 or that HDTV displays are at 16:9? This may be the reason why.
So the jury is still out as to whether a building is beautiful because it demonstrates the golden ratio, however, it stands to reason that if we perceive it quicker, it may contribute to us understanding it faster.
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