ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a number of examples of physical standards of apparently high criticality—anthropometrics, noise, thermal comfort and lighting—and try to show that they contain a rather important component of choice. Edward T. Hall was among the first to draw attention to the cultural variability of the use of space, the scale of spaces, needs for privacy, tolerance of noise and overcrowding, and the like. The chapter shows that even physical standards are greatly affected by values and culturally based choice. It also shows that an awareness of the cultural component present in standards that relate to biological factors should be an important aid to architects and designers who practice in different societies. The chapter provides the pseudo-functional status given to abstracted standards in design manuals and criticize the tendency of designers to derive functional criteria from "relatively imprecisely defined data.".
