Grid Maker Pro for Modulor & architectural proportion
For architects working with proportional systems — Le Corbusier's Modulor for human-scale residential design, the Golden Ratio Phi grid for façade composition, the Tartan Grid for laboratory and academic buildings, the Structural Grid for column-based planning. All canonical proportional systems in one browser tool.
By Sarah Chen · Last updated 15 May 2026Four proportional systems for architecture
Grid Maker Pro covers four distinct proportional systems for architectural use. Each addresses a different design problem.
1. Le Corbusier Modulor — human-scale measurements
The Modulor overlay draws Le Corbusier's 1948 proportional system based on the human body, the golden ratio, and the Fibonacci sequence. Best for residential design where ceiling heights, door heights, corridor widths, and furniture dimensions need human-scaled proportions. Modulor dimensions like 226 cm (door height with arm clearance), 113 cm (counter height at navel), 86 cm (kitchen counter at fingertip-down), and 53 cm (chair seat) are widely used in contemporary residential design even when the broader Modulor system is not invoked explicitly.
2. Golden Ratio Phi grid — façade composition
The Golden Ratio overlay draws the Phi grid (38.2/61.8) used for composing façades. Applied to elevation drawings, the grid helps organise window placement, balcony depths, brise-soleil dimensions, and the major proportional divisions of the façade. The Phi grid is the abstract mathematical basis of the Modulor; for pure compositional reference, the Phi grid alone is often sufficient.
3. Tartan Grid — served and servant spaces
The Tartan Grid overlay draws alternating wide and narrow bays in two perpendicular directions. Used in academic, civic, hospital, and laboratory architecture where major spaces (labs, classrooms, offices) need to be served by concentrated utility cores. Louis Kahn called this "served and servant" spaces; the Salk Institute (1965) is the textbook example.
4. Structural Grid — column placement
The Structural Grid overlay draws regular column positions and bay sizes. The default planning tool for any column-based building. Mies van der Rohe and the SOM corporate-architecture tradition made the structural grid the visible identity of the building; pre-modernist architecture often hid it behind ornament.
Combining the systems
The four systems work at different scales and are typically combined rather than chosen between:
- Building-scale planning: Structural Grid (column positions and bay sizes) + Tartan Grid (where served/servant separation matters).
- Facade composition: Golden Ratio Phi grid for major divisions; Modulor for ergonomic elements (door heights, sill heights, balcony depths).
- Interior design: Modulor throughout — ceiling heights, door heights, counter heights, furniture dimensions.
For a building like Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation, all four systems coexist: structural grid for the concrete frame, Tartan-like alternation for the served/servant separation between apartments and circulation, golden ratio for façade brise-soleil rhythm, Modulor for interior dimensions throughout.
Frequently asked questions
How do contemporary architects use the Modulor?
Selectively, not as a complete framework. Contemporary architects use Modulor dimensions for ceiling heights (2.26 m, 2.59 m), door heights (2.13 m, 2.26 m), and other human-scale measurements where the system's elegance produces comfortable proportions. The Modulor is rarely used as a comprehensive design language anymore — Le Corbusier's late buildings did that, but modern practice combines Modulor selectively with metric or imperial measurement.
What's the practical difference between Modulor and the golden ratio?
The Modulor is the golden ratio applied to specific human-body measurements, producing concrete numerical values (113 cm, 226 cm, etc.). The Golden Ratio (Phi grid) is the abstract mathematical proportion. The Modulor is therefore more directly usable for architecture — it gives you specific door heights and corridor widths to work with, rather than just the abstract 1.618 ratio. For pure proportional reference (where to place a window in a façade), the golden ratio Phi grid is sufficient; for ergonomic dimensions, the Modulor's specific values are more useful.
Should I use Tartan Grid for laboratory design?
Yes, almost universally. Modern science laboratories use Tartan Grid planning to separate served spaces (lab bays, offices) from servant spaces (utility chases carrying pipes, ducts, electrical service). The alternating wide-and-narrow bay pattern is the canonical solution for any building where major occupied spaces need to be served by concentrated mechanical infrastructure. Louis Kahn's Salk Institute (1965) and Richards Medical Research Building (1961) are the textbook examples.