Detail at Different Distances

A wall changes as someone approaches it. From the doorway it may read as one field; closer by, its joints become visible; within reach, the grain or marks on individual pieces can be seen. A material and its assembly can offer something at each distance.

Research on pattern complexity has encouraged interest in detail organised across scales. Hagerhall's work on responses to fractal patterns supplies one point of departure. In an interior, the broader design question is how a surface is encountered from the positions people will actually use.

A strong pattern may organise a view across a large room. Grain or weave may become more interesting beside a chair. The two can work together, with the larger form remaining comprehensible while closer inspection reveals variation. A full-sized sample viewed from several positions makes those relationships easier to judge.

The room will also gain detail through occupation. Books, clothing and objects on a table become part of what is seen. Considering that life can help determine how much interest the architecture needs to supply and where a quieter background would be welcome. The useful scale is the distance between the surface and its occupants, at the places where they move, stop and look.