Design principles of a residence
1、private/public separation
The privacy of a residence includes not only the visual privacy and the acoustical privacy, but also the spatial association.
The bedroom, the working room and the toilet for
residents of the home belong to the private area.
Non-residents of the home should not be forced to
pass through the private area in the course of their
visit.
The dining room, living room and the toilet for
guests belong to the public area. These rooms
should be located to positions that make them
accessible to guests. Having these rooms adjacent to
the entry foyer accomplishes this.
2、noisy/quiet separation
The quiet area includes the bedroom and working
room. The dining room, kitchen and living room,
however, are not as quiet. Separating these two areas
is necessary so that the noise is less likely to
bothersome to those sleeping or working while
activity continues elsewhere in the house. These
requirements may usually be satisfied by the
private/public separation.
3、dirty/clean separation
Kitchen and toilet produce fumes and waste everyday. What’s more, both of them need piping systems. Grouping them together can not only reduce the cost of piping and labor to install it, but also keep the other parts of the house clean. If there are two toilets, it’s better to group them together.
4、physical environment
Sunshine is very important for people’s health, especially the young and the old. Besides, a room receiving the sunshine is much warmer than the one no in winter. So placing the bedroom in the south of a house seems to be a rule in residence design. But in summer, designer should take measures to keep the sun out of the room. For example, using shutters is a good way.
Natural ventilation has much to do with the comfort of people inside the house. Most of the room needs windows so that the natural blasts can bring the fresh air in. Windows also allow the natural light into the rooms.
All the measures above can make the house better to health and comfort of the people inside. In addition, they can help the electrical energy saving.。