While doing some general research for my dissertation I stumbled upon this documentary called "The Secret Life of Buildings" on Channel 4. Its a few weeks old now but watching made me appreciate how important the design of - space that everybody uses and has - a home.
I recommend this hugely even though it is more specifically architectural and interior design but everybody could learn and take away from this.
Heres the link to watch it on 4OD and below is some information I founded on the channel 4 page about the program and in particular the home episode.
Explore how good architecture can improve our home lives.
Architectural space is a very difficult concept to grasp. We experience it intuitively, and find it hard to describe exactly what qualities a space has. Yet we all have our favourite spaces at home. The corner where we can sit in the sunlight and lose ourselves in a book, the quiet place where we can connect with the natural world outside, or simply the chair where we relax and drift off to sleep. Good architecture is about creating more of those places and integrating them better in a building. It's a difficult job, and it requires a lot of thought, but the results can improve our lives significantly.
Open or Closed?
Walk along any street in Holland after dark and you'll see curtains open and the interior clearly on display. The Dutch do this to reassure the person looking in that there is nothing untoward going on; nothing to hide. They are suspicious of houses where curtains are closed. Contrast this with a street in the UK where almost everyone has their curtains shut. We feel uneasy about people who leave their curtains open in the UK where having somebody peek in seems like someone seeing us naked.Homes Change People
Our homes are the most familiar spaces to us, and what we do to them is a deeply personal expression of ourselves. Winston Churchill wrote that 'we shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us' meaning that the environments we create also end up changing us. Poor quality homes will, in the long run, make us feel shoddy; well designed homes are able to nurture the better, more positive sides of us.More Bedrooms Doesn't Mean Better Space
When we compare the average floor area of housing across the Western world, the UK comes bottom. We have less space in our homes then almost every other developed country. Holland, a country with a much higher population density than the UK has, on average, larger homes.A smaller country, with more people per square mile, and larger homes! How can that be? One reason is that we buy our houses based on the number of bedrooms, not on the floor area or volume of a house, so we get duped by estate agents and developers as to what a 'big' house is.
Good Design Can Help
Another reason is good design. Dutch housing makes efficient use of space and materials in producing good quality housing and lasting architecture that really works for individuals and communities.The UK is not known for the quality of its housing design. Many new homes, built by developers rather than architects, have small windows, are made of poor quality materials, and are designed for show, not durability and adaptation. We may have a five bedroom house, but does it actually have enough storage space?
How Light Affects Wellbeing
Small windows and cramped spaces can have a very real effect on our physical and mental wellbeing. Reduced levels of natural light can:- Affect our energy levels
- Weaken our immune system
- Induce depression
They can also put pressure on the relationships we have with the people that we live with. Bad space can literally break us up.
Making Space for Improvement
If you want to improve the quality of your home environment consider letting more light into your home, using skylights, for example. Concentrate on freeing up space by de-cluttering. And if you can, think about consulting an interior architect to help you redesign your space. Architects are trained to make the best use of limited spaces, not just design funky homes for rich clients. Small spaces are often a much more attractive architectural puzzle and a good solution can help you and your family flourish.