Space Planning

Class schedule

What is space planning?

Space planning is the process of designing and optimising the layout of a space. It considers the flow of traffic, the function of the space and the needs of the people who will use it.

Practical space planning deals with the physical dimensions of a room: the floor area, the wall dimensions and the ceiling height. Designers use hand sketches, 3D models and computer-aided design (CAD) software to visualise and optimise layouts, and you should be skilled in one or two of these tools.

Why it matters

1. To create functional and efficient spaces.
2. To meet the specific needs of the occupants.
3. To improve the flow of traffic and movement.
4. To optimise the use of space and reduce cost.
5. To create a visually appealing design.

The main design considerations are functionality, space maximisation, circulation, aesthetics and, for commercial work, economic value.

Anthropometrics

Anthropometrics is the study of the measurements and proportions of the human body. In interior design it is used to make spaces comfortable and functional for people of different sizes. It takes in average height, arm reach, sitting and standing heights and more. Applying it tailors a space to its occupants so they are comfortable and can use it easily.

The space planning process

1. Brief analysisUnderstand the client, what they want and need, and the current space.
2. Design analysisSpatial analysis, a bubble diagram, a floor plan drawn to scale, review and a final floor plan.
3. Developing a basic floor planSketching and dimensioning.
4. Furniture layoutsArranging furniture and fittings to meet every design consideration.
5. Elevations and 3DDeveloping the vertical views and visualisations.

Complete documentation for clients, suppliers and trade contractors must include floor plans, furniture layouts and developed views.

1. Brief analysis

2. Design analysis

Spatial analysis. Group spaces by function or level of accessibility, for example public, semi-public and private space. JSAID is a good example: the first points of contact are administrative zones, then you move into learning zones and auxiliary facilities. Then measure and list the items each space must hold.

Bubble diagram. Draw each space as a bubble.

• Make each bubble’s size match the expected size of the space.
• Arrange the bubbles so the flow follows your spatial analysis.
• Intersect related spaces.
• Add circulation to link inter-related spaces.

Floor plan development. Square out the bubbles to form a floor plan, keeping to the sizes of the bubbles. Then draw it to scale with the appropriate symbols, review it, and produce the final plan.

Developing a floor plan

A plan is a horizontal cut through a building, usually at 1200 mm (3.9 ft) above floor level. Imagine slicing through the house at that height and drawing everything you see below the line. 1200 mm is used because it generally captures doors, windows, fixtures, joinery and furniture. Anything noteworthy above the line is shown dashed.

The exception is a reflected ceiling plan, which is a cut just below the ceiling looking up. It is called reflected because a ceiling plan drawn by simply looking up from the floor would be a mirror image of the floor plan.

How to measure a room

1. Doorways and entries. Note whether each door opens into or out of the room and show the swing with an arc. Measure the distance of every opening from the ends of the walls.
2. Windows. Measure from outside edge to outside edge of the frame, and record mouldings separately. Measure from the floor to the bottom of the frame, from the ceiling to the top of the moulding, and from each side of the window to the corner or next opening.
3. Architectural features. Measure fireplaces, brackets, shelves and built-ins, including their surroundings and overall dimensions, then locate each on your plan.
4. Walls. Measure side to side and floor to ceiling.
5. Services. Locate electrical outlets, switches and controls, and note heating and air-conditioning ducts, radiators, chases and exposed pipes.
6. Permanent outlets and controls. Mark switches, outlets, TV cable and phone lines, because they all affect furniture placement. Do not put a bookcase in front of the only phone jack.
7. Wall elevations. Draw each wall in 2D to plan art, accessories and window treatments, marking all permanent features.

After measuring, draw the floor plan to scale.

Scale

Most technical drawings are drawn to scale so that large objects fit on the page. A scale of 1:100 means one unit on the drawing equals 100 units in real life, so 1 cm on paper is 1 m in reality. The larger the second number, the smaller the scale.

A linear scale, also called a bar scale or graphic scale, is a line marked at intervals to show the real distance it stands for. It stays accurate if the drawing is photocopied or reduced, and you can compare a distance to it with dividers (or, less precisely, two fingers). Designers normally use the architect’s scale rule, which carries 1:100, 1:125, 1:50, 1:75, 1:20 and 1:25.

Units of measurement

There are two systems. The imperial system has its roots in measuring with the human form and uses inches, feet, yards and miles, with the acre as a common unit of area. The metric system is based on the metre and uses millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres. You must understand both, convert between them in both directions, and be comfortable converting between larger and smaller units within each.

When you have drawn the outline of the space, photocopy it several times to make worksheets for experimenting with different arrangements.

Space planning and perception

There are visual devices that open a space up or break it down. First identify whether such a device is needed, and understand the true, raw space before you manipulate it. Space is not only floor area. The floor plan expresses horizontal space, and an elevation expresses the vertical dimension of ceiling and wall height.

• In a multi-function room, changing floor or ceiling heights can define functional areas and make the space more interesting, even in a very small area.
• A ceiling height can bring the eye down and emphasise one thing while detracting from another. Antique flags hung in a loft would bring the eye down to a seating area and away from an exposed fire alarm.
• Planning a double-height space can create intimacy at ground level.
• Clever wall lighting that blurs the line between wall and ceiling can make a low ceiling appear higher.
• The right fixtures, colours, mirrors and finishes can make walls appear to move back, for example in a bathroom.
• Light opens the perception of space. Can you add or enlarge windows? If not, artificial light can create a similar sense of openness.

Removing walls and clearance

Removing a wall saves space in the traffic flow of a living and dining area and gives room for more uses while appearing to enlarge the room. It is both practical and a matter of perception.

• You need about 1000 mm (1 m, 3 ft) of clearance to walk around an object in residential design.
• At a dining table you need room to pull chairs out: 1 m between the chairs and the wall.
• In a closed kitchen and dining room you need another metre to walk around a free-standing island or breakfast bar.
• If you remove the wall, the clearance around the bar and the table can be reduced by at least 25%, because the two fixed objects share the clearance.

Open space planning

Removing a wall can add function to a limited space and make it feel less crowded. Room dividers keep an open space flexible and give it definition: shoji screens, sliding screens on tracks, bookshelves, curtains and free-standing folding screens. Furniture arrangements can also create islands of activity. In a small space, look up and look through the wall: can a skylight raise the eye and add a new dimension?

Movement and comfort

How you move through a space is a physical and ergonomic experience, both practical and aesthetic. If a plan jumbles simple activities, people start to dislike other things about the room. Ease of movement makes for good morale.

• Closets must be accessible and windows easy to reach.
• It should be simple to see the TV and change the music.
• Kitchen cabinets must not bang you on the head, and a dishwasher must not block the flow of work in a galley kitchen.
• Avoid hitting knees on obstructions or squeezing between closely grouped furniture.
• Make the most of a view or good light.
• A cosy room can still be created with tightly grouped open storage, lighting or colour, as long as movement stays free.

Styling an existing room. Often you must keep existing furniture and fixtures. It is easier to start with a clean slate, but sometimes the job is simply styling a room with what the client already owns.

Furniture layouts by room

Living room

The living room is generally the most public space in a house, the room most visitors are invited into. Planning it is about creating zones for different activities, from relaxing by the fire or watching television to reading or listening to music. This is mainly done by positioning furniture, while also making the room attractive and welcoming.

Dining room

Positioning the dining table without impinging on the kitchen work triangle can be difficult in a tight space. Ideally there is a metre (3 ft) of room to manoeuvre behind every chair. If you do not often seat people on all sides, place the table against a wall and move it to the middle only when you need extra places.

The table and chairs are a key piece of furniture, whether in a kitchen, a dining room or an open-plan living area. Decide whether you would rather prioritise a convivial atmosphere or spacious dining, and a sophisticated, integrated look or a relaxed one. The table must seat the usual number of diners, with logistics for extra guests, and leave plenty of room to move around it once in place.

Kitchen

A smoothly working kitchen is built on the work triangle between the refrigerator, sink and stove, with the sink at the apex and nothing to walk around between the three points. This is recommended for maximum convenience and safety.

Furniture layout in detail

Furniture layout is the arrangement of furniture and fittings in the most effective way so that every design consideration is met. How objects in a room relate to each other is both a practical and an aesthetic question. Use a furniture template when drawing by hand.

Questions to ask when developing a layout

• What is the function of the room, and who uses it?
• How often is it used, and does it have more than one function?
• What furniture is required?
• What are the traffic patterns, and where can furniture not go because it would be in the way?
• Does placement allow doors and drawers to open?
• What is the focal point (a view, a painting, a fireplace or a grouping of furniture), and how will you emphasise it?
• Is the furniture balanced? Check by dividing the plan into four equal parts with a pencil.
• Does furniture in each part suit its function, such as reading, conversing or eating?
• Are power points and lights in the right place?

Height, scale and visual clutter

• Keep proportion and scale in check so the eye is not distracted by extreme variations in height.
• Items grouped with a height progression work together and create unity. Arrange other items around the tallest object in the room, often the fireplace mantel, so they lead the eye up to that height.
• When the eye has to jump up and down to take everything in, the space feels frantic. That is visual clutter.
• A row of chairs under a large painting or mirror forms one mass of positive space and reads as stronger and less cluttered than the same objects scattered.
• Dining tables and chairs are higher than most sofas and armchairs. In open living and dining areas make sure the dining area does not tower over the seating area. Positioning the sofa as a room divider helps.
• Towering objects bear down on the observer and can make a space feel smaller. Any free-standing line below eye level, about 1200 mm (3 ft), feels less obstructive.
• Solid, opaque materials occupy more perceived space than transparent and reflective ones.
• Think about what meets the eye as you walk in: a low console, a low bench or a tall cabinet? If a room is large or has several entrances, consider how groups unfold from several angles.

Planning the space

Think a step ahead. On a floor plan, several different choices look the same dimensionally, so the plan must be practical and aesthetic from the first layout. The pieces you propose must fit comfortably in the raw space and perform their function, including ergonomic requirements.

• A lamp at the left shoulder behind a chair is thought to be the ideal lighting for reading.
• A coffee table should be about 600 mm (2 ft) from the front of the sofa, close enough to reach without hitting your shins when you sit.
• A tall chair facing a low sofa and coffee table may look like a good conversation group on paper. In reality the person on the sofa feels lower than they are, and the person in the chair cannot reach the table without stretching. Space planning is three-dimensional.

Measure the height, width and depth of all existing pieces, photocopy and cut them out. Use your floor plan and elevation templates to try groupings that are functional and also balanced, harmonious, repeated and rhythmic.

Other considerations: drawing conventions

Lettering and dimensions

Good lettering is one of the most important details on a drawing because it sets out the designer’s thinking clearly. Notes and annotations must be clear, legible and consistent. Dimensions give the length, width, height and depth of objects and show the scale and proportion of a space. They must be legible and accurate.

• Read dimensions across the sheet, left to right.
• Keep dimensions separate from the structure lines of objects, in a different line weight.
• On imperial drawings, draw fractions with a diagonal line, such as ¼.
• On metric drawings, work in millimetres, for example a wall of 2755, and round off rather than add confusing digits.
• Internal dimensions run from the inside face of a wall to the opposite inside face. External dimensions run from outside face to outside face.
• Coordinate notes and dimensions so that one never obscures the other.
• Dimension line end marks (arrows, diagonal slashes or dots) must be clear and distinct, in a heavier line, and the line should run slightly past the end mark. If you use a slash, it should fall with the line of the numbers.

Line work

Good line work is the keystone of good drafting. Different lines have different, industry-standard meanings. Be definite, and present hand drawings in ink; pencil is fine for sketching, but ink makes quality drawings stand out. A line should be well drawn and not trail off, and lines that overlap or cross at a corner give a crisp finish.

Title blocks

Every drawing must carry a title block, typically running down the right side or along the bottom of the sheet, and the same title block should be used on every sheet. It usually contains the name and location of the job, the sheet title, the scale, the client’s name, names and addresses of consulting engineers, the initials of drafters and checkers, revision blocks and a drawing number. It should also reflect your professional company name. We cover business setup in Module 11.

Developing a basic elevation

An elevation is a vertical plan: a view of one wall that shows door frames, architraves, skirting boards, dado rails, cornices and every other wall detail. It is always two-dimensional and has no depth. Measure and record the ceiling height so you can plot each wall’s horizontal length and vertical height.

1. Start with a simple rectangular room: one measurement for the east and west walls and another for the north and south walls.
2. Draw them on A4 graph paper or plain paper at the same scale as your floor plan.
3. Imagine the elevations standing at the edges of the floor plan to make a three-dimensional box, like the pieces of a dolls’ house.
4. Mark the doors and windows, matching their positions on the floor plan.
5. Make several photocopies of each wall.