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Courtyards which Live

Opening context:
Positive Outdoor Space, Hierarchy of Open Space

Conflict

The courtyards built in modern buildings are very often dead. They are intended to be private open spaces for people to use — but they end up unused, full of gravel and abstract sculptures.

Resolution

Place every courtyard in such a way that there is a view out of it to some larger open space; place it so that at least two or three doors open from the building into it and so that natural paths which connect these doors pass across the courtyard. And, at one edge, beside a door, make a roofed veranda or a porch, which is continuous with both the inside and the courtyard.

Closing context:
Arcades, Gallery Surround, Six-Foot Balcony, Sunny Place, Outdoor Room