3/9- Pragmatic

Pragmatic factors greatly affect the design of space. The office design shown at the right is a space that seems to demonstrate quite a few pragmatic woes. By analyzing spaces that have not been successfully designed, in terms of pragmatic issues, designers can learn from others’ mistakes and more successfully achieve designing truly functional spaces. Pragmatic issues deal with the health, safety, and welfare of its users, but they ultimately prescribe a space that functions well.

The space at right appears to be a conference room placed in a rather open section of the building and at the crossroads of a main circulation path and a staircase to upper floors. The main circulation path appears to run through the wide door opposite the conference table, alongside the table, and beyond to the stairwell and continued open space. The position of the conference table creates a pragmatic issue because it is placed right in the center of the opening in the main traffic path. Users must either walk around this large road block in order to properly access other areas of the building. Thus, the circulation paths are rather amiss due to furniture arrangement. The boxing pad hanging from the opening also blocks the circulation path in the same fashion as the large table does.

Another pragmatic factor that influences space is the abundance or lack of appropriate/inappropriate noise. The white, bare walls of the office space do not have any absorbent material that would reduce reverberation within such a large, high-ceilinged space. The lack of such material most likely creates loud echoes throughout the space, which is not an ideal condition for a conference space. Conference spaces are used for meetings and brainstorming among companies. With constant reverberation, the space will become both distracting and intimidating for employees. Workers may become unable to concentrate due to the constant echoes and thus, reduce work productivity. Shy employees may become intimidated by the reverberation and become more withdrawn from meetings. They may have wonderful ideas/contribution, but be too scared to come forward. Thus, the impact of noise can essentially decompose company productivity in a badly designed space.

Safety issues can greatly impact the functionality of a space. The office design at right contains rather hazardous stained concrete floors. These floors can become very slick with any water application. On most days, the floors would be rather successful. However, on rainy days, employees would track water inside the office building and create slick, dangerous floors. Employees could become injured and eventually raise insurance/benefit costs to the company. The stairs at the left of the photograph seem to be lacking handrails on the right-hand side. This lack of protection in the ascension of floor levels could also cause injury to employees and have the same effect on company costs. Despite other dangerous pragmatic concerns within this space, the designer did equip the conference table with appropriately healthy chairs. The designer placed ergonomic chairs within the space that contour to the human spine and create a healthy work environment for the employee despite having to sit in a chair for continuous amounts of time.

I brought up a point concerning weather and its direct relation to interior design pragmatics. What are some other examples of how weather (pragmatic) issues affect the design of space? How do designers accommodate these primary needs of space?

Picture from: http://www.momentoitalia.com/tutti%20file/immagini/office/PELL-OFF-BIG/ZZ1_jpg.jpg