Library builder

The following strate­gies foster minimal site impact. It is cheaper to ship stone from a local quarry than from one that is miles away in a distant part of the country or world. Further, the use of regional materials benefits the local economy by employing people who live in the area. Regional plant materials or […]

A sustainable landscape recognizes these issues and is designed to help alleviate them. This approach to landscape design is commonly known as sustainable design. Collectively, these living organisms form an interconnected web of life embracing the entire residential landscape. A range of sustainable principles and strategies are discussed in detail in the fol­lowing sections of […]

Figure 2-44 The outdoor dining space should use all three planes of enclosure for a roomlike feeling. Although there may be other impor­tant factors to consider, it should be stressed that a pool is likely to be the dominant element of a design owing to its uniqueness, thus making it an extremely important element requiring […]

Figure 2-42 The outdoor food preparation space should be conveniently located near the dining room, kitchen, and outdoor eating space. The size of many dining rooms is about 125 square feet, with proportions that are equal or slightly longer than wide. The dining room is usually simple in organ­ization and design. The outdoor food preparation […]

The overhead plane doesn’t have to cover the entire space. Kitchen The kitchen is normally a utilitarian room of the house. Figure 2-36 Vertical planes can be used to provide spatial enclosure and privacy in outdoor living and entertaining spaces. Figure 2-35 Circulation should pass along the edges of living and entertaining space. The residents […]

In any case, the entertaining space is usually semi-public in nature because it is the place where visitors can be entertained and other business conducted. One of the major rooms of the house is the living and entertaining space. Or, all of the lights may be lit to provide a bright and lively atmosphere for […]

On many residential sites, the most significant outdoor spaces include an outdoor arrival and entry space, entertaining or living space, eating or din­ing space, recreation space, work/storage space, and garden space. But a well-designed arrival and entry space should do more than just satisfy these utilitarian considerations. Each of these zones contributes to the overall […]

Figure 2-9 Varying heights of overhead planes create different feelings of enclosure. Perception of out­door space is also influenced by variations in weather (sun, clouds, fog, rain, snow) and light. The walls separating one room from an­other are typically solid and fixed in place with doors or other openings being the only spatial connection between […]

An outdoor room may be rather open with views extending outward in many directions, partially en­closed on several sides, or totally enclosed with an inward orientation (Figure 2—5). Vertical planes are established by such site elements as the facades of a house, walls, fences, the foliage mass of trees and shrubs, tree trunks spaced close […]

It is important to keep in mind that selecting materials, patterns, and colors is critical to the success of a space. These three exte­rior planes of enclosure, like the interior floors, walls, and ceilings, collectively define the edges or limits of outdoor rooms (Figure 2—3). Creating usable outdoor space, perhaps more clearly understood as outdoor […]