Planning a house
A house is planned in three zones:
- Public (shared) zone: entrance, living room, dining. Guests may come here.
- Private zone: bedrooms and study. Quiet, away from the entrance.
- Service zone: kitchen, bathroom, store, utility. Keep the kitchen and bathroom near each other so water and drain pipes are short.
Also think of: sunlight and fresh air (windows on opposite walls for cross-ventilation), a short path from kitchen to dining, storage space, and the needs of children and older people (no slippery steps, a bathroom close to the bedroom). Plan the size with the number of people and the lesson on scale and dimension planning.
Planning an office
An office is a place where many people work well together. Planning points:
- Workstations: a desk about 1.4 m wide with enough depth for a computer, and about 5 to 8 m² of floor per person including aisles.
- Aisles: about 1.2 m wide between rows so two people can pass, and wider for the main route.
- Meeting rooms kept apart so talking does not disturb the others, and quiet zones for focus.
- Services: reception, toilets, pantry, storage, printers placed close but not in the middle of workers.
- Good light without glare on screens, fresh air and power points at each desk.
Open plans give flexibility; separate rooms give privacy. Many offices mix both.
Planning public facilities
Public facilities such as libraries, stations, schools, hospitals and halls are used by many different people at once, including children, older people and people with disabilities. So they follow these rules:
- Wide, clear entrance and signs that anyone can follow.
- Barrier-free access: a ramp beside the steps. A gentle ramp slope is about 1:12, so a rise of 0.3 m needs a run of 3.6 m. Add handrails and non-slip floors.
- Wide corridors and halls so crowds do not jam.
- Emergency exits: at least two, in different places, always unlocked and unblocked, with clear exit signs.
- Service points (counter, toilets) easy to find, seating for waiting.
What changes between spaces
The same ideas appear in each space, with different importance:
- Privacy: highest in a house, medium in an office, lowest in a public hall.
- Crowd capacity: highest in public buildings, medium in offices, lowest in houses.
- Circulation: short and private in houses, organised in rows in offices, wide and signed in public buildings.
- Safety rules get stricter as more people are present.
Always begin with: who uses it, how many, and what they do.
Try it: plan three spaces on paper
Draw each plan on squared paper (1 square = 1 m). (1) A small house for a family of four: mark public, private and service zones in three colours. (2) A small office for 8 people: desks 1.4 m wide, aisle 1.2 m, a meeting room. (3) A public library hall: a wide entrance, a ramp, a counter and two exits on different walls. Colour the escape path green. Then use the 3D above to compare with your plan.
Key formulas and definitions
- House zones = public + private + service
- Office area ≈ people × 5 to 8 m² (includes aisles)
- Row length = number of desks × desk width
- Ramp slope 1:12 → run = 12 × rise
- Public building: at least 2 exits
Worked examples
1. An office row has 5 desks of 1.4 m. How long is the row?
5 × 1.4 = 7 m.
2. An office for 20 people gives 6 m² for each. What floor area is needed?
20 × 6 = 120 m².
3. A step is 0.3 m high. How long must a 1:12 ramp be?
Run = 12 × 0.3 = 3.6 m.
4. Why put the kitchen and bathroom of a house side by side?
They both need water supply and drainage, so the pipes become short and cheaper, and one wall holds both.
5. Why does a library hall need two exits in different places?
If a fire blocks one exit, people can leave by the other. Two exits far apart also let a crowd leave faster.
Common mistakes
- Putting bedrooms next to the main entrance or noisy kitchen.
- Making office aisles too narrow, so people cannot pass.
- Giving a public building only steps and no ramp.
- Blocking an exit with furniture or locking it.