Space Design &

Circulation :
Parts of the
House
Interrelationship of Different Spaces
Circulation:
“Circulation: movement
through space”

— Francis DK Ching in Architecture: Form,

Space & Order

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CIRCULATION
In architecture, the concept of circulation isn't so
different - it refers to the way people, the blood of our
buildings, move through space.

• In particular, circulation routes are the pathways

people take through and around buildings or urban
places.

• The 'space between the spaces', having a connective

function, but it can be much more than that.

•  It is the concept that captures the  experience of moving

our bodies around a building, three-dimensionally and
through time.

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 Components of Circulation
To simplify further, architects typically divide their
thinking according to different types of circulation, which
overlay with one another and the overall planning. 

• Direction of movement: horizontal or vertical;

• Type of use: public or private, front of house or back
of house;
• Frequency of use: common or emergency; and
• Time of use: morning, day, evening, continuous. 

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DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT
Horizontal
- might include hallways, atria, paths, entries and exits. It is
also affected by the furniture layout, or other objects in the
space such as columns, trees, or topographic changes.

Vertical
- this is how people move up and down within the building,
so includes things like stairs, lifts, ramps, ladders and
escalators which allow us to move from one level to
another.
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TYPE OF USE
Public Circulation
is the areas of the building which are most widely and
easily accessible.
In this guise, circulation is often overlapped with other
functions.
Issues of visibility, how crowds move, and clear escape
paths are key.

Private Circulation
accounts for the more intimate movements within the
building, or the more ugly ones which require a degree of
privacy.
In a house this might be the back door, in a large building
the back of house, staff offices or storage zones.

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DESIGNING CIRCULATION
1. Be clear and unobstructed.

2. Follow the shortest distance

between two points.
The reason for these two rules of thumb is fairly obvious:
people want to be able to move around a building with ease
and efficiency, and without feeling or being lost.

Similarly, circulation doesn't necessarily have to follow the

shortest distance between two points. Rather, it can take
into account the sequence of spaces, thresholds, and
atmospheres encountered through movement, which
prepare you for the transition from one space to the next.
Circulation can be choreographed, to add architectural
interest.
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Circulation
Diagrams
Bubble Diagrams
Interrelationship Diagrams
Matrix Diagrams

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Bubble Diagram
Architectural bubble diagrams are
sketches that help architects identify the
areas of the home that will be included
in the drawings. These diagrams are
used at the preliminary phase of the 
design process and are used for space
planning and organization.

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Interrelationship
Diagram
A schematic diagram showing the
relationship of the different spaces and
their closeness or adjacency to each other.
This can also be shown in the bubble
diagrams at the same time.

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MATRIX DIAGRAM
is a tool that allows a team to identify the presence and
strengths of relationships between two or more lists of
items. It provides a compact way of representing many-
to-many relationships of varying strengths.

In planning spaces, the ‘adjacency’ of areas are being

considered when creating a matrix diagram of the
areas.

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ORIENTATION
SOLAR ORIENTATION
ROOM PLACEMENT
GEOMANCY

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ORIENTATION
the relative physical position or
direction of something.

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SOLAR
ORIENTATION
Solar orientation (west, east, north and
south) denotes primarily the sun position
throughout the day and the year. Rooms
should be located to take best advantage of
the sun.

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North-Facing Rooms
The main living spaces such as living, family and
dining rooms should be north facing where
possible.

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North-Facing Rooms
- have good daylight most of the day
- have solar gain for most of the day throughout the year
- may require horizontal shading to prevent overheating in
summer
- have good passive solar gain in winter.

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East-Facing Rooms
East facing rooms are most suited as kitchen and
breakfast areas as they can benefit from early
morning solar gain throughout the year and will
be cooler in the late afternoon when evening
meal preparation takes place.

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East-Facing Rooms
- have good morning light
- have solar gain in the morning throughout the year to provide initial
warming
- will be cooler in the late afternoon.
Bedrooms that face east will be cooler in the late afternoon and evening,
making them more comfortable for summer sleeping. Early risers
generally appreciate east sun in spaces they will use first thing in the
morning such as breakfast bars.

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West-Facing Rooms
As west-facing rooms get low-angle, late
afternoon sun, they usually require some shading
to prevent overheating and excessive glare,
particularly during the summer.

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West-Facing Rooms
-have good afternoon daylight
-can overheat in the late afternoon for much of the year
-may require vertical shading to prevent excessive overheating
and glare in the afternoon
-provide good direct solar gain for thermal mass heating of
living spaces in the evening.

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South-Facing Rooms
South-facing rooms are not suitable for habitable
spaces

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South-Facing Rooms
- have lower levels of daylight during parts of the
year
- have little or no heat gain.
- They are most suited for the location of the
garage, laundry, bathroom, toilet, workroom and
stairs, where people spend little time and/or use
infrequently.

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Geomancy
the art of placing or arranging
buildings or other sites
auspiciously.

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Feng Shui
Chinese geomancy which claims to use
energy forces to harmonize individuals
with their surrounding environment.

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Parts of a House

Areas and Spaces and their

Functions

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Living Room
An area for relaxation,
recreation socialization and
can function as a reception
area for guests.

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Living Room
Living rooms are an important part of each and every home;
it doesn’t matter whether a house is modern or ancient, you
will certainly find a living room in that home.
WHY?
“Man is a social animal by nature” – this is the simplest and
the most straightforward answer to this question.

A living room is the place of gathering – the place where

you entertain your guests, socialize with people, enjoy and
spend immeasurable quality time with your family. 

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Also called LOUNGE, SITTING ROOM, but it is different from a FAMILY ROOM because it is
more formal.

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It is an interface where you socialize with outside people, such as guests, friends and distant relatives.

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It’s also a place where you share private time with your family doing activities, such as, watching TV, family discussions
and anything and everything that you and your family love to do together.

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Best Location:
Facing the North
West – If occupants are
away
During the day.
Bedroom
A room furnished with a bed
and intended primarily for
sleeping.

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Master’s
Bedroom
A principal bedroom in
a house or apartment, usually the lar
gest, typically occupied by the person 
or persons who head the household.

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Defining the bedroom space is important for two main reasons: home value and safety. 

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The primary design consideration for Bedrooms, no matter who the users are, is that they would be able to sleep
comfortably away from the noise and disturbances.

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Best Location:
Facing the North
DINING ROOM
A room designed purposely for the
consumption of food and meals.

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It is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often
on an entirely different floor level. 

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Best Location:
Facing the East
KITCHEN
A room designed purposely for the
preparation, storage and cooking of
food and meals.

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WORK TRIANGLE
This magical term refers to the ‘efficiency
and ergonomics’ of a kitchen in regard to the
ideal distances and positioning of the
elements within a kitchen. This includes the
amount of space required between the
cooking appliances, refrigerator and the
sink.

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The WORK TRIANGLE Mainly utilizes the RANGE/STOVE, the REFRIGIRATOR, and the SINK.

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DIRTY KITCHEN
A dirty kitchen is an outdoor kitchen either
separate from or adjoining the main house, the
reasons for which isolation or separation
includes fire safety, keeping the smoke and fuel
smell out, and keeping charcoal dust and oil
grime out.

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Best Location :
Facing the North or East
South – Dirty Kitchen