ARCHITECTURAL INTERIORS
MODULE 1:
DESIGN IN ARCHITECTURE, FUNDAMENTAL TOOLS OF SPACE PLANNING, DESIGN ANALYSIS,
ANTHROPOMETRICS, PROXEMICS AND ERGONOMICS
“We spend an increasing amount of our lives indoors in built environments. We wake from a night’s sleep
in some form of interior space and go to learn, work, or play in another space that gives a sense of
purpose to our lives. We may briefly go outdoors to get to the site of our day’s occupation, but the amount
of time spent outdoors is usually only a fraction of the time spent indoors.”
- Rosemary and Otie Kilmer
ARCHITECTURE
- THE ART AND SCIENCE AND SCIENCE OF DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS.
- The product or result of architectural work: buildings, collectively.
- A style or method of building characteristic of a people, place, or time.
- The profession of designing buildings and other habitable environments.
- The conscious act of forming things resulting in a unifying or coherent structure.
ARCHITECTURAL INTERIORS
Architectural Interior means a detailed planning and design of the indoor/enclosed areas of any
proposed building/structure, including retrofit or renovation work and which shall cover all architectural
and utility aspects, including the architectural lay-outing of all building engineering systems found therein.
INTERIOR DESIGN
- Concerned with anything that is found inside a space - walls, windows, doors, finishes, textures,
light, furnishings and furniture.
“To God the greatest architect, be the glory!” pg. 1
- Is focused on choosing color palettes with complementary furniture, flooring, window coverings,
artwork, and lighting.
- Involves manipulating the architectural integrity of the interior space.
Anthropometrics
- Anthropometrics is the comparative study of the human body’s measurements and capabilities.
- Anthropometry has a significant impact on the design of buildings, influencing a wide range of
businesses, processes, services, and products. When it comes to establishing the proportions
and overall design of a structure, human dimensions and capacities are crucial.
- The essential premise of anthropometrics is that buildings should adapt to the human body rather
than the other way around.
Kinds of Anthropometry:
• Structural Anthropometry
(Static Anthropometry) – deals with simple dimensions of the stationary human being.
Example : Weight, stature and the lengths, breadths, depths and circumferences of particular
body structures
• Functional Anthropometry
(Dynamic Anthropometry) – deals with compound measurements of the moving human being.
Example : Reach and the angular ranges of various joints.
“To God the greatest architect, be the glory!” pg. 2
Proxemics
It is the study of physical distance and its influence on human interactions. The amount of space
existing between people when communicating can reveal the nature of the relationship. This term was
coined by Edward T. Hall, who was an anthropologist. He was interested in understanding how humans
place themselves in terms of space. He defined proxemics as “the spatial dimension of non-verbal
behaviour.”
• Intimate Space (Touch - 45 cm): Reserved for close, intimate conversations, but may also be
used in haptic communication. Intimate space can be comforting, frightening or even annoying.
• Personal Space (45 cm - 1.2 m): This is the zone, which is reserved for friends, family and close
acquaintances. In this zone, people enjoy having close individuals around by interacting with
them and subtle touches are considered normal or friendly.
• Social Space (1.2 m - 3.6 m): This is not as impersonal as the public space and not as close as
the personal space. This is the zone where normal social interactions between distant
acquaintances and colleagues take place.
• Public Space (3.6 m - 7.6 m): Public space is the least personal zones of all the other zones.
Such a zone is held mostly during a professional setting where a person has to address a group
of people.
“To God the greatest architect, be the glory!” pg. 3
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is a science focused on the study of human fit, and decreased fatigue and discomfort
through product design.
Ergonomics applied to office furniture design requires that we take into consideration how the
products we design fit the people that are using them. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent
repetitive strain injuries, which can develop over time and can lead to long term disability. At work, at
school, or at home, when products fit the user, the result can be more comfort, higher productivity, and
less stress.
Space Planning
Plan – a visual presentation of conceptual ideas supported by mathematical calculations aimed at
giving convenience and comfort to users or occupants. It should be functional and economical.
Planning Considerations:
◦ Distribution – placement, location and arrangement of room units in relation with each other as to
functions and coordination
◦ Circulation – addressing the traffic inside the building
“To God the greatest architect, be the glory!” pg. 4
◦ Light and Ventilation – natural and artificial Sec. 808 of the NBC states: “Every room intended for any
use and not equipped with artificial ventilation system, shall be provided with window or windows with a
total free opening area equal to at least 10% of the room floor area, and such window shall open directly
to a court, yard, public street or alley, or pen water courses.”
◦ Zoning Laws – land use
◦ Sizes, Areas and Shape – rooms should be planned according to human scale; provided with ample
areas to accommodate furniture, appliances, and other related facilities; shape should be functional, not
fancy.
Space Planning
Living Room
Planning Considerations:
• 60” or 1.50 m – between facing seating
• 24” or 0.60 m – circulation between furniture
• 30” or 0.75 m – for use of desk
• 36” or 0.90 m – main circulation
• 60” or 1.50 m – between home entertainment to seating
• 10’ or 3.00 m – diameter for seating arrangement
Dining Area
Planning Considerations:
• 32” or 0.80 m – chairs plus access thereto
• 38” or 0.95 m – chairs plus access and passage
• 42” or 1.05 m – serving from behind chair
• 24” or 0.60 m – passage only
“To God the greatest architect, be the glory!” pg. 5
• 48” or 1.20 m– table to base cabinet
Bedroom
Planning Considerations:
• 2”-3” or 0.50-0.70 m – between wall & furniture
• 2”-4” or 0.50-0.10 m –between furniture units
• 4” or 1.00-1.10 m – one side or foot of bed for dressing
• 6”-8” or 0.15-0.20 m – between side of bed and side of dresser or chest
• 36”-40” or 0.90-1.00 m – in front of dresser, closet and chest drawer
• 22”-24” or 0.55-0.60 m – in one side of bed for circulation
• 24”-28” or 0.60-0.70 m – for major circulation path door
• 3-4 cm – on least used side of double bed
Kitchen
Planning Considerations:
• 74” or 1.80m – wall shelving maximum height
• 38” or 0.96m – countertop maximum height
• 30” or 0.76m – countertop minimum height
• 24” or 0.60m – minimum height of cabinets over range and sink
• 15” or 0.38m – minimum height of cabinets over other areas
• 4-18” or 0.10-0.45m – depth of wall shelving
• 12-24” or 0.30-0.60m – depth of base shelving
• 15-24” or 0.38-0.60m – depth of countertop shelving
• 5-10” or 0.13-0.25m – spacing of shelving
“To God the greatest architect, be the glory!” pg. 6
• 4” or 0.10m – backsplash minimum height
• 56-60” or 1.40-1.50m – optimum height for hood
Bathroom
Planning Considerations:
Types of Bathrooms:
• Ensuite – a bathroom or shower room attached to and only accessible from a bedroom
• Family bathroom - a full bathroom in a house where one or more bedrooms have en-suites.
• Jack and Jill bathroom - a bathroom with two doors, accessible from two bedrooms
• 0.375m – minimum distance from water closet center to side wall
• 0.75m – minimum clearance in between water closet centers
• 0.30m - minimum distance from urinal center to side wall
• 0.60m – minimum clearance in between urinal centers
• 0.375m – minimum distance from water closet center to side wall
• 0.75m – minimum clearance in between water closet centers
• 0.30m - minimum distance from urinal center to side wall
• 0.60m – minimum clearance in between urinal centers
• 0.375m – minimum distance from bidet center to side wall
• 0.75m – minimum clearance in between bidet centers
“To God the greatest architect, be the glory!” pg. 7