5 The main centers of a room: internal elements which create the room’s life
The vital centers which govern the life of the room are nearly invisible pieces of space which exist as centers, yet usually have no clear boundaries, sometimes no obvious defining marks. Like still places in a stream, they are nearly imperceptible in the configuration, yet all-important.
For each room, we must first lean which are the crucial spots in the room: then, with a combination of movement and light, make that spot become a living center.
Usually the main center of a room is defined by two things: (1) it is a quiet spot in the pattern of movement and (2) it is a place near the light. A room has a good center when such a place, a place quiet with respect to movement, a quiet backwater in the flow of moving people, and the intense oriented place towards the light, are one and the same and embellished, when possible, by other features (ceiling, floor, furniture, built-in furniture, a focal point).
At the time of writing this note, we have just moved house a few weeks ago. Something interesting happened in our new living room — still barely furnished as we moved from an apartment that was furnished into one that isn’t. After just a few days, two areas started to stand out as latent centers: (a) The end of the kitchen counter towards the window is a place we like to work in, and (b) the corner between wall and window next to where the TV is will become a reading corner with a comfortable chair. We didn’t plan these things; they just became obvious after living here for a few days, when we saw how the light changed throughout the day and as we got more familiar with how we move through the apartment. These two spots fit Alexander’s description exactly.
Human beings are naturally attracted by light, move towards light. That means, as a room begins to find its shape, the sources of light are — whether pre-planned or not — as a matter of fact latent centers in the emerging construction. If the building is able to unfold, it is these latent centers which will dominate our understanding of the wholeness in the newly forming room.
Above all, the vital thing is that one can be clear from the beginning where the focus of the room is, and that it is a strong center in its own right.
#book/The Nature of Order/3 A Vision of a Living World/13 The Character of Rooms#