a pattern language by christopher alexander explores the different levels of a building and breaks them down into very basic ideas that have very basic rules of etiquette to follow. he talks about the intimacy gradient, indoor sunlight, common areas at the heart, entrance room, the flow through rooms, short passages, staircase as a stage, zen view, and tapestry of light and dark. for intimacy gradient, he says "unless the spaces in a building are arranged in a sequence which corresponds to their degree of privateness, the visits made by strangers, friends, guests, clients, family, will always be a little awkward." for this he speaks about the flow of the way people enter a house or room and how it usually becomes more intimate the deeper you go into the building. when speaking about indoor sunlight he stresses how important natural lighting is and how it can change the whole mood of a room. for common areas at the heart, alexander says "no social group-whether a family, a work group, or a school group-can survive without constant informal contact among its members. " when speaking about the entrance room, he hits on six points; the relationship of windows to the entrance, the need for shelter outside the door, the subtleties of saying goodbye, shelf near the entrance, interior of the entrance room, and and area to store outside things. he speaks a lot about the flow through the room and how much they effect social interaction within the room or from room to room. for short passages, Alexander talks about the effect of furniture, bookshelves, windows, and the type of floor will effect the space. while speaking about stairs, he says "the stair is itself a space, a volume, a part of the building..." he closes by speaking about how the designer should embrace a beautiful view, and also how people are drawn to well-lit spaces rather than dark ones.
this reading is very relevant to our studio project right now because these are all aspects we have to consider while designing the writer's retreat. we have to consider what parts of the building we want to accentuate and how the writers are going to experience the space.
