People spend a considerable part of their time in the home, and so it is only natural that everyone should wish to adapt it as fully as possible to their everyday needs.
When thinking about what your future house will be like, you should be guided by general principles of spatial organization, as well as by the particular character of your family, its habits, hobbies, and so on.
Let us first consider the general principles of residential design that must be observed when creating a project for any family.
Every residential house is divided by walls, floors and ceilings into separate rooms which, according to their purpose, may be habitable or non-habitable.
To the first kind of rooms belong all those that serve for the prolonged stay of the occupants, both at work and at rest: this is a study, a dining room, a bedroom, a “common room,” and others. They are customarily called rooms.
Non-habitable rooms are intended: some for a person’s temporary needs, for example WCs, saunas, bathrooms, and others — for household purposes, such as the kitchen, a utility room and various kinds of storerooms. To them also belong the rooms that serve internal circulation in the house, namely: corridors, the entrance hall, stairwells, and so on.
The entrance group. The entrance group consists of a vestibule and an entrance hall with a cloakroom. The entrance to the house should be properly articulated. A canopy of some kind over the entrance will not only mark the doorway visually, but also protect the door from the weather and create a comfortable setting for the person coming in. This may be: a door canopy, a shelter from a second-floor balcony, an open terrace, and so on.
An essential element of the entrance is also the vestibule (a transitional compartment between the outdoors and the heated rooms of the house). It is provided so as not to let in the cold in winter and the heat in summer. It is a kind of buffer. In addition, this space can be given a certain practical function, for example by making it a place to store such sports equipment as sleds, skis or bicycles.
Beyond the vestibule comes the entrance hall. A place where provision should be made for leaving outdoor clothing and footwear.
The number of storeys in the house. A house may be single-storey, with a basement (sunken) storey, with a mansard (set within the roof structure) storey, and may also have two or more full storeys.
The wish to build a house of several storeys may be prompted by the following considerations:
- The overall floor area of all the rooms in the house (the impossibility of placing all the rooms on a single storey, for example because of a small plot)
- a wish to separate daytime and night-time living onto different levels,
- to set apart a guest zone or rooms for leisure (for example, a swimming pool, a billiard room, and so on)
- a wish to arrange at the highest level a panoramic zone with a fine view (for example, a balcony with a view of a body of water)
When deciding to build a house of several storeys, the following should be considered:
- different levels require the installation of a staircase, which entails an increase in the cost of the house structure
- whether all members of the family will be physically able to go up and down the stairs several times a day (today and in the future)
- houses of three or more storeys fall into a higher fire-hazard category, which entails higher requirements for structures, materials and planning solutions, and, consequently, an overall increase in the cost of the house
- washing windows located above the 1st storey, if they are made non-opening, will turn into a serious problem
General conditions. The distribution of the constituent parts of a residential house must meet, first of all, the requirements of convenience and hygiene. Each room must make it possible: to organize in it the performance of the functions for which it is intended (for example, a bedroom or a living room), to place the necessary furniture conveniently, and to have good communication with the other rooms.
Of no less importance is an adequate supply of daylight and fresh air to all the rooms of the residential house, as well as good heating and ventilation. That is why the proper siting of the house in relation to the cardinal directions, to neighbouring buildings, as well as due regard for the climatic conditions of the locality, is of the utmost importance.
Finally, building materials and their quality affect to a considerable degree the structural aspect of the whole building, as well as its appearance, which depends primarily on the purpose and the internal arrangement of the house.
Only by observing the general conditions indicated here and by meeting the particular requirements put forward in each individual case by the client can the architect design and build a house that satisfies the fundamental demands of utility, strength and beauty. What matters is not only theoretical and practical knowledge, but also a conscientious and attentive approach to the task, both on the part of the builder and of all those taking part in the erection of the building.
