MuNa/projects/harbor-house/ref/harbor-house-pattern-language.txt

A Pattern Language adapted to Harbor House
This is a companion to A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Sara
Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein. You need to be familiar with the book, or have it
to hand, as this is only a list of pattern names with summaries.

91 TRAVELER'S INN *
Problem: Travelers staying in unfamiliar places remain part of the human
community and need social connection. There's no reason they should be isolated
in solitary rooms watching television, as typically happens in roadside motels.
Solution: Design traveler's inns that provide overnight accommodation while
drawing vitality from the community of guests present each evening. Keep the
scale intimate—about 30 to 40 guests per inn. Offer communal meals and include
a spacious area surrounded by beds in alcoves, encouraging interaction rather
than isolation.

94 SLEEPING IN PUBLIC
Problem: A public space—whether park, lobby, or porch—demonstrates its
success when visitors feel comfortable enough to fall asleep there.
Solution: Provide abundant benches, comfortable nooks, and corners where
people can sit on the ground or recline comfortably in sand. Create these spaces
with relative shelter from main circulation paths, perhaps elevated slightly, with
seating and grassy areas where people can relax with a newspaper and naturally
drift into a nap.

115 COURTYARDS WHICH LIVE **
Problem: Contemporary building courtyards often remain unused and lifeless.
Though intended to function as private open spaces for people's enjoyment, they
frequently end up abandoned, filled with gravel and abstract art installations
rather than human activity.
Solution: Position each courtyard to provide a view of a larger open area beyond.
Ensure that at least two or three doorways open from the building directly into
the courtyard, with natural pathways between these doors crossing through the
courtyard space. Along one edge, adjacent to a doorway, construct a roofed
veranda or porch that seamlessly connects both the interior and the courtyard.

119 ARCADES **
Problem: Arcades—covered walkways at building edges that exist partially
indoors and partially outdoors—serve a crucial function in facilitating human
interactions with buildings.
Solution: Construct arcades wherever paths run alongside buildings. Utilize these
arcades primarily to connect buildings to one another, enabling pedestrians to
move from place to place under the protection of these covered passages.

129 COMMON AREAS AT THE HEART **
Problem: Social groups - whether families, work teams, or school communities -
cannot thrive without regular informal interactions among members.
Solution: Establish a single shared space for each social group. Position it at the
center of gravity of all spaces the group uses, and arrange it so that paths entering
and exiting the building run tangentially to this central area.

147 COMMUNAL EATING *
Problem: No human community can maintain cohesion without shared meals.
Solution: Establish a dedicated space for communal dining in every institution
and social group. Make shared meals a regular ritual. Specifically, implement a
communal lunch in every workplace—a genuine meal around a shared table (not
from containers, vending machines, or bags)—as an important, comfortable daily
event with accommodation for guests. In our Center work group, we found the
most beautiful arrangement was taking turns cooking lunch. The meal became an
event: a gathering that each member invested with love and energy on their day
to prepare.

150 A PLACE TO WAIT *
Problem: Waiting inherently contains conflicting psychological demands.
Solution: Transform waiting areas (bus stops, appointment lobbies, airport gates)
into positive experiences by blending waiting with engaging activities—
newspapers, coffee, games—that attract even non-waiting visitors. Alternatively,
design spaces that guide those waiting into peaceful contemplation through
quietude and positive silence.

165 OPENING TO THE STREET *
Problem: Witnessing activity motivates action. When people can view into spaces
from the street, their world expands and becomes more enriched, fostering
greater understanding and creating opportunities for communication and
learning.
Solution: For any public space that relies on street exposure for its success, open
it up with a fully opening wall that can be thrown wide open. If possible, extend
part of the activity across the pedestrian path so it straddles the walkway,
allowing pedestrians to walk through the activity as they move along the path.
There are dozens of ways to build such an opening. For example, a wall can be
made very cheaply with a simple plywood hanging shutter sliding on an overhead
rail, which can be removed to open up completely, and locked in place at night.

179 ALCOVES **
Problem: A uniform room with consistent height cannot adequately serve a
group. To foster togetherness, a space must simultaneously offer opportunities for
solitude, allowing individuals or pairs to find privacy within the shared area.
Solution: Create compact spaces along the perimeter of any common room,
typically no wider than 6 feet and between 3 to 6 feet in depth, though potentially
smaller. These alcoves should accommodate two people for conversation or
activities, and occasionally be large enough to fit a desk or table.
182 EATING ATMOSPHERE
Problem: When dining together, people may be genuinely connected in spirit or
emotionally distant. Some spaces encourage leisurely, comfortable eating and
togetherness, while others prompt quick meals followed by retreating elsewhere
for relaxation.
Solution: Position a substantial table in the eating area's center, sized
appropriately for the entire family or group. Install lighting directly above to
create a focused pool of light, and define the space with walls or contrasting
darkness. Ensure the area is spacious enough for comfortable chair movement,
and incorporate nearby shelves and counters for dining-related items.

185 SITTING CIRCLE *
Problem: Seating arrangements—whether chairs grouped together, a sofa with a
chair, or cushions arranged on the floor—are fundamental elements of our daily
environments. Yet creating configurations that foster animation and vitality
rather than sterility is remarkably nuanced. Most arrangements remain unused,
with people avoiding them and no activity occurring there. Others seem to
naturally gather and energize life around them. What distinguishes these two
outcomes?
Solution: Position each sitting space in a protected location, away from
thoroughfares and movement, with a roughly circular arrangement. Design the
room to subtly suggest this circular formation—not too rigidly—with paths and
activities surrounding it to naturally draw people toward the seating when they
feel inclined to sit. Arrange chairs and cushions in a loose circle, providing slightly
more seating than necessary.

186 COMMUNAL SLEEPING
Problem: Sleep is practiced as a communal activity in many traditional societies,
without the sexual connotations prevalent in contemporary Western culture. We
believe this may serve a vital social function, potentially as fundamental and
necessary to human well-being as communal eating.
Solution: Design sleeping areas that allow children and adults to occasionally
share the same space, within sight and sound of one another, as an alternative to
their usual sleeping arrangements.
This can be done in the common area near the fireplace, where the entire
household and guests can sleep together - one large mat and some blankets in an
alcove. It is also possible to build bed alcoves for overnight guests, in an extended
couple's realm.

188 BED ALCOVE **
Problem: The concept of bedrooms as we know them lacks coherent purpose and
function.
Solution: When constructing a compact dwelling around 300-400 square feet—
perhaps with plans for future expansion—this pattern becomes crucial. In such
cases, placing the alcoves adjacent to the family room will likely be most effective.

202 BUILT-IN SEATS *
Problem: Built-in seating offers comfort and luxury to buildings, but frequently
fails in practice. Common issues include improper placement, insufficient width,
incorrect back angle, poor viewing position, or uncomfortable hardness. This
pattern provides guidance for creating truly functional built-in seats.
Solution: Test the location before construction by placing an existing armchair or
sofa in your intended position. Adjust it until you find an optimal spot. Leave it
there for several days to verify you genuinely enjoy sitting there. If you find
yourself naturally gravitating to sit in it, you've found the right location. Then
construct your built-in seat with identical width and cushioning to ensure its
success.

241 SEAT SPOTS **
Problem: Outdoor seating placed without consideration for views and climate
conditions typically goes unused.
Solution: The location of outdoor seats matters far more than their design. When
the spot is well-chosen, even the simplest bench works perfectly.
For cooler climates, position seats to capture sunlight and shield from wind; in
warmer areas, place them in shaded locations with access to summer breezes. In
all situations, orient seats to provide views of ongoing activities.

242 FRONT DOOR BENCH *
Problem: People enjoy observing street activities.
Solution: Install a comfortable bench outside the front entrance where household
members can sit comfortably for extended periods and observe passersby.
Position the bench to establish a semi-private area in front of the home. Elements
such as a low wall, plantings, or a tree can help define this transitional space.