it is important to remember that buildings need to be designed with form and function tied together. if you try to jam everything into a golden section or daisy wheel design... sometimes it works - other times it doesn't. we're unfortunately a bit trapped by the 4x8 mentality (or the 8x or 6x mentality) - we use what is commonly available... often to save $$, time, both, or waste. but, the plywood manufacturer often doesn't really know what the ideal living arrangement of a client may be...

i liked the theory of finding the longest / largest sticks and working from there. when i did a local barn most of my sizing was done by what i could get from a local mill... it required some creativity - doing some key lam tie beams for the center bents, and breaking the top plates at certain locations - but in the end it made sense with the materials i had on hand.

working with reclaimed or cruck / scribe materials will push this path as well. how big is the room? how long is that timber?

the book is a good study. he pushes the idea a bit, taking it almost too far - but yes - the smaller is to the greater as the greater is to the whole.

there is power in limits - so maybe that plywood mentality can be turned on its head. or that 8x mentality. with design students i've often limited the materials or the sizes - it is amazing what students can come up with, esp, when they are unencumbered with 'tradition' and 'thats the way its always done'....