Prospect & Refuge

"A home is a kingdom of its own in the midst of the world, a stronghold amid life's storms and stresses, a refuge, even a sanctuary "

 -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 In May, I moved into my first apartment with two friends. We were all super excited to move in and decorate. I was the lucky one who got the master room with the walk-in closet. The day we got our keys, I ran upstairs to my new room. I was so excited to put everything in. The first thing I did was open the blinds to look at my view, and I was stunned. I have mountains to look at every day, right outside my window (I'm from the midwest, everything is flat there). I decided right away my bed would be to one side of the window, and I wanted my drafting table near it as well. I wanted the ability to look outside while working on projects.

Photo taken by me from my window

Everything in my room is set up so that I can see my entire room. I like to be aware of my surroundings. If I keep my door open, I can also see if anyone is coming up or down the stairs. This gives me a peace of mind. My window overlooks the parking lot that I park in, so at any time, I can make sure my car is okay, or see what's going on outside. This is a prime example of a space with prospect and refuge. I can see any potential threats while also feeling secure in my space.

The concept of prospect-refuge can make or break a design. People want to feel secure, but want to be aware of their surroundings as well. The whole idea of prospect-refuge is to create a place that people can see while being hidden. It's easy to create prospect-refuge in almost any building. The use of sociofugal seating next to a window in a cafe will create a sense of prospect-refuge.

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Reference:
Dossen, A. S., (2016). The Impact of Spacial Dimensions on Preference Ratings for Interiors. Examining Prospect-Refuge Theory in Architecture. Volume 1, pp 32-37.