Short Passages
By Paul Sharp
Christopher Alexander wrote “a Pattern Language”, a master work outlining over 250 rules of thumb that affect home design. In this series of articles, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite patterns.
132. Short Passages
“Long, sterile corridors set the scene for everything bad about modern architecture. Therefore: Keep passages short. Make them as much like rooms as possible…Make them generous in shape and always give them plenty of light…”
Many of the patterns speak obliquely about traffic patterns in a house. Ideally, the house should be laid out so that every area of the house is easily accessible to any other area. There’s a lot you can do to turn hallways into usable spaces such as mini libraries, sitting areas, etc.
In the second floor plan shown, all the individual rooms are directly accessible to the central corridor. The width of the space is expanded to allow double duty as a computer loft, as well as provide circulation space.
House design by David Court.
Reprinted with permission. A Pattern Language. On The Level, Volume 12, Issue 7, July, 2007
Previous Articles:
