Social Space: Architecture in Context 1 (DESN10055)

1. Record place, day and time of visit. Whats the weather like outside? Is the
caf busy?
Caf: The Last Word owned by Peyton and Byrne in the British Library foyer.
Date: Wednesday 23rd March 2016
Time: 13:00
Weather: 12oC and cloudy
The caf is not immensely busy, especially not for a lunch time. There are 16 people in
sight.
2. What range of users are in the caf (age, sex, ethnicity etc); are they alone
or in groups?
Age range: I (aged 20) appear to be the youngest, the others look from about 26-50
Sex: a fair split of men and women
Ethnicities: mostly white, 1 black, 1 Asian, 1 mixed race.
the people are alone and are in groups
3. What are people doing? How would you judge their mood (from their facial
expression, body language etc.)?
5 people are on the phone
No body is smiling
It is relatively cold and so lots of people are layered up and hugging themselves to keep
warm.
4. How would you describe the experience / atmosphere of the caf, and which
elements, including scale, furniture and lighting, create it? Do you think
everyone has the same experience explain your answer?
Most people are in a hurry to get lunch and go because the
caf is mostly outside, people tend not to hang around.
Scale: the caf is a small rectangle shape in the middle of a
large foyer which makes it appear even smaller.
Furniture: only 5 tables indoors and large outdoor seating
area so this encourages people to eat outside. This is good
for warmer months however makes it more difficult for
people to enjoy their experience when it is cold. The chairs
are metal and weaved plastic,
relatively comfortable (see figure
1). There are large umbrellas
shading people from sun or rain
(see figure 2).
Lighting: 3 of the 4 walls of the
caf are glass making it very light
Figure 1. Postgate, 2016.
(see figure 3) and also so it
blends into the very orange/red brick of the British Library.
Figure 2. Postgate, 2016.
Experiences: I believe a tourist coming to see the library and
stopping for lunch would have a completely different experience to a
business woman buying her lunch. For the tourist it would be exciting,
they could be tired from sightseeing and use the caf as a place to refuel
and admire the library whereas the business woman is likely to choose
and sandwich and leave without taking in the surroundings.
5. How does the layout enable (or hamper) the activities,
including movement (at the counter and around the tables)?
Note any problems.
As soon as you enter the door the counter is in front of you, implying one
must buy their food first before choosing a seat giving a rushed
Figure 3. Postgate, 2016.
atmosphere.
There is no exit at the other end of the caf meaning the entrance and exit are the same,
causing traffic.
Problem: if customers are taking time to decide on their food there will be a large backup out of the door ad there is no space in the caf for people to stand waiting.

6. In the light of the reading, explain the role of the caf as a Third Place.
The caf plays the role as a Third Place in the fact that it is not a place for formal
meetings (as there is no adequate seating), it is popular for tourists, workmen and
visitors, it can be accessed by anyone as it is off the Euston Road and one does not have
to even enter the British Library to go to the caf. There is disabled access, it is very
open, the whole foyer could be a part of the caf. On the other hand, the caf is only
open from 8:30am 5:30pm Monday to Friday meaning it is only workmen hours. It is
also not a particularly comforting environment due to a large part of it being outdoors
and there was not much conversation going on. This may be due to it being in Central
London at lunchtime on a Wednesday when most customers would be people getting
their lunch and going straight back to work.
7. Draw a sketch plan of the caf, including furniture. Mark where people are,
who they are and what they are doing.