Step 9 – Organization

Hello John,

I hope you have a great trip!

I thought this section was straightforward and clearly written. I really liked it! :-) It addresses a topic that not many people tend to think about until they’ve experienced living in a place with poor organization.

You’ve mentioned Pitfall #1 (Hallway is too long) before on the site and I’ve always had questions about it: What are the things to keep in mind if you want to avoid creating a long hallway? Are there any tricks of the trade that help you keep hallways to a minimum?

Also, if you added another use to the hallway (e.g. adding bookshelves along the length of it) would this reduce the negative aspect of a long hallway?

Li-Na,
A good question about hallways. A long hallway is usually a good indicator that a house has been designed as a series of individual rooms and not as a whole. The hallway is like a string along which the “pearls” of individual rooms are strung. This can result in a house that is awkward to live in and has a lot of wasted space. Most architects try to minimize or even eliminate space that is dedicated solely to circulation preferring to incorporate the space for movement into the side of a principal room. This makes the main room feel bigger and the house feel more open. Care must be taken, however, so that this “incorporated” circulation does not interfere with the furniture layout or use of the principal room.

A bookcase can sometimes help an existing hallway as long as it doesn’t reduce the width too much. Giving the hall a use (gallery, library, etc.) can be a nice idea if done in moderation.

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Overall I found these examples to be good. On my edited version I point out a couple of times where circulation could be emphasized (or in these cases, lack of circulation).

Note, I’m also late to posting to yesterday’s comments.

My son will also be in Barcelona on Thursday, on board the Grand Princess (work term). Maybe you could give a wave at the docks if you see him. ;)
I hope you have a great trip!

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Hi John and Matthew, I thought this was a pretty good section. The examples are great!

Again, I’m suggesting reorganizing the Intro page. I think that the definition, fast-house description and slow home pointers get mixed up, which dilutes your message. In general, I’d suggest:
1. Start with an intro sentence or definition if required.
2. Briefly describe the fast-house issues.
3. Knock it out of the park with the slow home concepts!

Here’s a rework of paragraph 1 (if I may be so bold!):
——–
Organization describes how various rooms come together to create a whole home. Most fast houses are poorly organized: a bunch of rooms haphazardly placed together, making the house inefficient, awkward, and often larger than they need to be. To maximize livability, private spaces such as bedrooms and bathrooms should be grouped together and the more public living areas should be consolidated into one or two larger open rooms. This kind of layout makes the overall house feel larger and more open. Adjacent rooms should also be compatible in order to avoid privacy concerns or disruptions from noise or vibration.
———–

I’d also suggest that your entire response to Li-Na about hallways is full of great stuff and I could easily see that as a “Box” providing details about a specific concept, as in other sections.

Thanks again!

John–If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest getting a taxi to Gaudi’s Crypta Colonia Güell, about 15 km outside Barcelona. The taxi will wait while you enter the crypt. A very different, naturalistic Gaudi is here. I found the stone work gorgeous–so like the bark of surrounding trees that it’s difficult to tell the difference.

Murray,
Thanks for the suggestion about simplifying the wording in this section. I also agree that a concrete example, like the one about the hallway and rooms is good to include.