What is Small Scale Architecture?

“Small-scale architecture” is an imprecise term. The phrase conjures images of small projects that occasionally pop up on our news feeds – an apartment wedged into an alley, or a food stand assembled from shipping containers. But these are distinct projects. A small doghouse is not the same creature as a small hospital. However, if scale is defined as a relative measurement, should a hospital smaller than other hospitals be considered small-scale architecture? The distinction may seem obvious; clearly a general hospital of any size is not an example of small-scale architecture. But such an arbitrary statement is unbecoming of a profession that considers itself as diligent and thoughtful as architecture does.

To make this statement more concrete, it would help to distinguish small-scale architecture from architecture of other scales. A “small-scale” work of architecture implies there is some “normal scale” of architecture, this normal scale being that at which we naturally live. A general hospital is not small-scale architecture because it cannot be compressed and maintain the same degree of functionality, as dictated by external factors such as equipment.

The success of small-scale architecture lies in its innovative use of space. In a tiny house, the program of a single-family home is compressed into a space smaller than 400 square feet. Critical to the design of the tiny home is the preservation of function within the constraints of the square footage. The same 400 square feet with no utility would not be considered a successful tiny home. Designers must find ways to increase the efficiency of space. Any definition of small-scale architecture requires a size limitation less arbitrary than the 400 square feet the tiny house imposes.

In small-scale architecture, size is not measured by increments on a ruler, but by the scope of work and the number of connections the space facilitates. Thus, the scope of work dictates the scale of the project. If you need a general hospital, you design a general hospital, not a tiny hospital. But, by reducing scope, one can achieve a smaller scale. Small-scale architecture facilitates intimacy between occupants. The natural room is a space across which two people might converse without raising their voices. The small-scale room may be defined as compressing space so the same level of comfort is maintained.

Therefore, small-scale architecture can be defined as architecture that compresses space while preserving a high level of functionality in a limited scope.