Monday, February 20, 2012

Chapter 5: Circulation

Circulation: moving through a space. 

Building Approach
The approach is the time before one actually enters the building,
when he or she is preparing to see, experience, and use the space.

This beautiful tree-lined driveway makes for a very pleasant approach to the house 
beyond it. The lane leads right up to the house, giving the person approaching a good
view of the building they are about to enter.




Building Entrances
To go inside a building, one must first penetrate the planar surface
that separates that space from the exterior.

The person entering this house would first step onto the front porch through
the columns, which could technically count as an entrance itself. The
black front door would be the second entrance into the actual house.


Configuration of the Path
A starting point followed by a sequence of spaces leading to the destination.
This mountain residential area is set up in a spiral path. It winds down, wrapping around the mountain in a spiral pattern. That is the easiest way to get down a mountain without going strait down the steep hill.




Path-Space Relationships
Spaces relate to the path as something that is passed by,
something that is passed through, or something that terminates the path. 

This linear path is an example of spaces that are passed through on the way to a destination.
The columns show a sort of hallway, but separate spaces are created and used as part of the path.


Form of the Circulation Space
Circulation spaces take up a large part of the building and have to accommodate a maximum amount of people as they move about the space.
The columns on one side of this hallway form a balcony or gallery, opening up the space visually.