Residential planning

Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 (Highlights)

 Space Planning
Two basic kinds of
knowledge are needed:

1. Knowing what
things need to be
included (partitions,
rooms, furnishings
and accessories)
2. How to organize
those things to
achieve a functional
and perceptually
good solution.
 Space Planning
•Fixed architectural
elements are typically
given and cannot be
changed, (structural
columns)

•Interior architectural
elements (doors,
partitions, etc.)

•Furnishings (FF&E)
(lighting, equipment,
etc.)
Concepts of
Accommodation
Accommodating humans and their needs is a
complex task. Seven universal concepts
related to the arrangement of people and their
environments

•Insider / Outsider
•Hierarchical Arrangement
•Individuals vs. community
•Invitation vs. rejection
•Openness versus enclosure
•Integration vs. segregation
•Combination vs. dispersion
Individual / Community
Invitation / Rejection
Openness / Enclosure
Integration / Segregation
Combination / Dispersion
Anatomy of a Space Plan
• Producing a good plan is not
an easy task
• Requires trial and error and
may refinements
• When asking someone “what
do you see” they will state
the obvious – kitchen, size.
• Designers note more: such as
Efficiency, flow, correct
placement of rooms, shape of
rooms, etc.
The Good Room
To design a good project, you need
to design good individual rooms
that are functional, with adequate
space to support the furniture and
equipment.

1.Envelope
2.Contents
3.Connections
4.Flow
5.Scale
5 Principles of
Room Design
• What size and shape
should this room be?
• What furnishings and
accessories are needed?
• How should these be
arranged?
• How should people enter
and move through the
room?
• How should the room
connect to the exterior?
Shape & Proportion
• Not many shapes and
proportions will produce a
good room.
• Rectangular rooms are the
most common.
• Avoid overly long and
narrow rooms.
• If the length of a room
exceed its width, the
proportion becomes
uncomfortably narrow in
relation to its length.
Windows
• Always consider the
windows when
placing furniture
• They provide views,
natural lighting, but
can also cause
glare, too much
heat or a bad view
• Decide on a case by
case basis
Circulation
• Entry point
• Main space
• Clearances
• Exit points

Strive for efficient, fluid

and discrete paths that
allow multiple furniture
configurations
Circulation Principles
 Residential Zones
• Social: public area and
most used portion of the
home. Comprised of
the entry, family room,
living room, media room,
game room, etc.
• Private: Areas such as
the bedroom,
bathrooms, etc.
• Work: Kitchen, laundry,
HVAC, storage, office,
etc. Most of these areas
should not be in direct
view of guests (except
the kitchen).
Evaluating the plan
 Traffic patterns
 How do you move from room to room?
 Does traffic flow through the conversation areas?
 Does traffic flow through meal preparation area?
 Does guest traffic flow through private areas?
 Is there a good flow from a service entrance?

Note: when evaluating a plan or home, don’t let

the beauty of the architecture, furnishings and
accessories distract your judgment.
Evaluating the plan
 Look for poorly located doors, windows and
closets.
 Are they conveniently located or do they interfere
with good furniture arrangements and traffic
patterns.
 Is there adequate storage space inside and
out?
 Is the plan effectively oriented on the site?
 Climate control
 Privacy/views
 Garage door openings (to side)
 Look for adjacencies of rooms.
 Do they function in relation to each other?
 Is the space appropriately allocated?
Common traffic
considerations
 Kitchen, garage, mud room
 Dining room to kitchen
 Kitchen to service entrance
 Laundry to bedrooms
 Bedrooms to bathrooms
Considerations by
area:
Entry: Provides the first
impression.
 No direct views into
the private zones or
work zones from the
entry.
 Should have a coat
closet
 Should not open
directly into living area
 Approximately 35 sq.
feet
 Ability to view visitors
 lighting
 Considerations by
area:
Living areas, dining rooms,
home offices can be viewable
from entry.
 Should have a focal point
 Good traffic flow – not through
conversation area
 Access to a guest bath or
powder room
 Should have ample wall space
for furniture placement
 Should not have direct view
into private zones - should
have a corridor that leads to
the private zone
 Should not have direct view
into work zones
Considerations by
area:
 Kitchen
 No traffic through the work
triangle (sink, cooktop and
refrigerator)
 Garage access is nearby
 Appliance doors and cabinet
doors do not collide
 Panty is provided
 Kitchen should not be
viewable from entry
 Storage:
 Recommended 10% of total
sq. footage
 Location is convenient
 Separate closets for men
and women – walk-in ideal
Considerations by
area:
 Dining Rooms should
be near the kitchen
for ease of clean up
 Surface, sideboard for
utensils, food etc.
 Consider how family
eats
 Formal sit down
 Informal sit down
 Buffet style
 Meals on the run
 Young children
 Consideration by area
Bedrooms (1/3 of our lives is spent
in bed!)
 120 sq. feet desired, minimum of 70
sq. feet required by code 90 sq. ft.
allows for a single bed, 120 allows
for a double bed. 145 square feet
 Must have an operable window
 Closets can act as sound barriers –
minimum closet size is 24” deep by
5’ wide
 Locate remotely as possible from
social areas for privacy
 Sound insulation needed in walls if
adjacent to social areas
 Adequate wall space to plan
furniture layout
 Door swings against wall
 Split plans are ideal
 Considerations by area
Bathrooms (ideally a 3 bedroom
should have 2 full baths)
 Located in private zone, close to
bedrooms
 Use back-to-back plumbing
 Compartmentalize in family
bathrooms
 Consider privacy in regard to windows
(not on front of house
 Look at door swings – shouldn’t hit
anyone standing at a vanity
 View into the bathroom ideally should
not be a direct view of a toilet
 Nearby linen storage needed
 Master suites often have separate tub
and shower
 Minimum size is 5’ x 7’
 FYI: Water closet is another name for
a toilet
 Considerations by
area:
Laundry room
 Venting access (25’max)
 Out of view
 Acoustic insulation
 Drain and tile floor
recommended
 Utility sink and clothes
rod
 Ironing station
 Folding area
 Can serve as a mud
room
 Freezer storage
 Clothes drop in 2-story
homes or second floor
laundry room
Traffic pattern pitfalls
 Rooms that act as hallways
 Door locations that force circulation through
conversation areas
 Spaces that are too small to plan
 Traffic pattern through work areas that tend
to be messy
 Hallways less than 3’ (ideally 3’-6”)
 Doors should open against a wall.
Floor Plans
 Open plans – concept developed by Frank
Lloyd Wright.
 Less expensive to build
 Space seems larger
 Flexible layouts
 Ideal for accessibility
 Lacks privacy
 sound
Floor Plans
 Closed Plans
 Spaces walled off
and have doors
 Provides more
privacy
 Creates chopped up
plans
 Can control HVAC to
areas not used often
 Not easily
accessible
 Less flexible for
furniture layouts
Types of Housing
 Single family detached:
represents a house with a
yard – requires more
maintenance and yard work.
Examples: Ranch, 1 ½ story,
two-story,, mobile home
 Attached dwellings share
walls with other residences
and usually don’t have a
yard. Row houses, town
houses, garden homes, patio
home, apartments. Usually
windows and doors are
placed on front and back
only.
 Multi-family such as high-rise
apartments. Lacks privacy,
limited on parking and
usually no outdoor space
House sizes
 Small: up to 1,500 sq. feet
 Medium: 1,500 – 3,000 sq. feet
 Large: Over 3,000 sq. feet
“Tiny House”
Ways to save money – through
design
 Smaller sq. footage
 Two-story homes
 Back-to-back plumbing
 Stacked fireplaces
 Reduce number of dormer windows
 Use simpler foundations (less jogs, simple
rectangle)
 Use standard sizes and finishes
 Plan long-term and easy maintenance
 Reduce cubic feet (lower ceilings for
heating/cooling)
New Construction vs.
Remodeling
New Construction: (advantages and
disadvantages)
 Location and orientation can be selected
 Customized
 New technology and building materials
 Don’t have to live in the construction
 More expensive
 Takes longer
 Travel time to oversee construction
New Construction vs.
Remodeling
Remodeling (advantages and disadvantages)
 Relocation not required
 Work can be completed in stages
 Less expensive than new construction
 Living in the mess
 Subcontractors in your home
 Finding surprises
Economic
Considerations
 Economy is an important consideration in planning
space.
 New construction and remodeling will have
limitations (maximum that can be spent) dictated by
financial institution or by homeowner
 What is affordable? 2 times the annual family income
although many people go up to 3 or 4 times the
annual income.
 Interest rate, length of loan (15 yr vs. 30yr)
 $250,000 @ 4% = $78,000 for 15 years
 $250,000 @ 4% = $168,000 for 30 years
 Location
 Building materials used
 Labor rates
Square footage vs. Material
and labor
 Quick way to estimate
is using the sq.
footage method based
on the average price
in the neighborhood.
Not as accurate as
using a materials and
labor quote.
 Material and Labor
quote is more
accurate