Sheryl Sutphen

Syllabus

Calendar

Text website

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Spring Break

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

 

 

Week 5

Monday, 2/15

Handouts:

  • Public to Private, from Home by Design, Sarah Susanka
  • Example floor plan
  • Chapter 7 Notes

Space Planning

Define space use

  • Public
  • Private

Diagramming

  • Bubble diagram
  • Blocking diagram
  • Stacking diagram (for multiple floors)
  • Traffic diagram - plans movement between spaces & within a space

Assigning space - how much do you need? See table, page 136

Square footage - Average house in 1950 was 1200 sf, average now is over 2000

Planning for specific functions

  • Make space as usable as possible
  • Make space as flexible as possible

Special issues with remodeling

Remodeling can update look only or change functionality

Restricted by construction

  • Foundation type
    • Slab restricts movement of plumbing
  • Foundation footprint
    • Expanding footprint more expensive
  • Placement of load-bearing walls
    • Can be beamed, more expensive

Floor plans

Room shapes should be mostly rectangular, close to the Golden Section (1:1.6) (link)

Use other shapes, angles and curves for interest or special use

Open vs. closed plans

Single family building types:

  • Single-family detached - one or 2-story. Split-levels rare her, more common in hilly areas. Three-story homes are restricted by code. Typically have building setbacks that determine space between homes.
  • Single-family attached - Townhomes, duplexes, have shared walls. Duplexes are sometimes not titled individually
  • Zero-lot, patio homes - SFA with setbacks of 0 on at least one side. Closely spaced.
  • Mobile home, modular home - home is built offsite and moved to location. Many types of modular homes are being designed. In the past, could not be titled with the land, house was considered personal property.

Multi-family building types

  • Apartments - Units are leased, not owned by resident
  • Condominiums - Units are individually owned
  • Co-op - A percentage of the building is owned by each resident; uncommon here
  • Loft - originally described commercial space that became residential; now used for a style of apartment or condo

Subdivisions and condos often have maintenace fees for shared services, can be expensive in luxury developments

Getting a floor plan

Most subdivisions have specific builders that are allowed to build homes there. Builders will often have a certain number of plans to choose from. Modifications to builder's plans may be expensive

Custom house plans are designed by the architect specifically for a single client. Fees usually start around 5% of building cost.

Stock plans are available from many sources. The plan fee is like a license to build that house once. Stock plans can be modified for a fee.

What's in a plan set:

  • Floor plans - give dimensions
  • Elevations - show what the house looks like, one for each side minimum
  • Site plan - shows the location of building on site, also site improvements
  • Building section - cuts the building open to show the interior
  • Interior elevations - drawings of individual walls within the house, often used to show cabinetry or woodwork
  • Foundation plan - shows how the foundation should be built
  • Framing plan - shows the structure of the walls, location of studs and other framing members
  • Details - larger-scale drawings showing individual parts of the building
  • Electrical plan - shows locations of outlets, light fixtures, switches, etc.
  • Reflected ceiling plan (RCP) - a floor plan that shows the ceiling instead of the floor, often used in conjunction with electrical plan
  • Schedules - tables of information that lists things like doors, windows, and finishes
  • Specifications (specs) - not drawings, but written information not easily put on the drawings. Includes methods of construction, materials selection, and other information. Commercial specs must follow the standard CSI MasterFormat system.

Assignment

Answer the questions on the Floor Plan Critique assignment (link) to evaluate the floor plan given in class. Due Wednesday.

Wednesday, 2/17

Complete Chapter 7 discussion

Handouts:

Chapter 8: Furniture Arrangement

Furniture arrangement involves space planning on a smaller scale, and should be planned to maximize both aesthetics and function

Function is the use of the space. Many spaces have multiple functions, and the room arrangement should facilitate all the uses. Designers must understand how the client will use each space each day to design for that.

HVAC

  • Vents, air returns should not be blocked
  • Thermostats should be easily accessed
  • Ceiling fans should be correctly sized and placed, easily controlled
  • Other environmental controls may be included (radiant heat floors, automatic shades, etc.)

Circulation

  • Furnishings should not block easy movement in a space
  • Plan around natural traffic pattern as much as possible
  • Redirect a bad natural traffic pattern
  • Circulation should not interfere with a function – conversation area, entertainment area, etc.

Anthropometrics

  • Designing around average human dimensions
  • Spaces should be comfortable to use

Ergonomics

  • Science of designing objects for comfort & to prevent injury
  • Used mostly in the workplace
  • Example – different counter height in bathroom for men and women

Standard clearances

  • Rule of thumb: 3’ clear space needed for traffic, between furniture, and on operable sides of furniture (seat side of desk, dining table, etc.)
  • Accessible spaces may need more room

Proxemics

  • Comfortable zones of distance between people
  • Forcing people to be too close invades personal space and is uncomfortable
  • Forcing people to be too far apart does not promote interaction and is uncomfortable
  • Comfortable distances vary by culture
  • Intimate distance – Less than 18”
  • Personal distance – 18” to 4 ft.
  • Social distance – 4 to 12 feet
  • Public distance – more that 12 ft.

Crowding & Territoriality

  • If people do not have enough space, they get stressed and aggressive
  • Territoriality – having space of your own
  • Designers must plan both for spacing of furniture & areas around them, but also for areas within areas that people will claim and personalize

Elements and principles in arrangement

See text for more info

Balance
Symmetrical and asymmetrical arrangements have different feel

Scale and proportion
Furnishings and space should be in same scale

Mass
Objects have visual weight
Items that are close together share visual space
Colors have visual weight

Rhythm
Alternate materials, heights, colors, etc as you move around the space

Emphasis
Primary and secondary focal points guide the eye a round the space

Example rooms

Assignment:

Complete online multiple-choice quizzes, Chapters 7-8, and e-mail results to ssutphen@collin.edu

Complete assignment from Monday by next Monday

Study for Chapter 5-8 Test on Monday