Week Four: Prospect & Refuge

Flash back to fifth grade. It's your friend's birthday. You are playing a game that is played at every fifth grade sleepover: hide and seek. There are no closets or completely closed in areas where you can hide. When you are searching for a place to hide, you do not choose the middle of the room. If you are any good at hide and seek, you will choose a space where your back is to a wall or something immovable and you have a line of sight on the rest of the space. I bet you never thought fifth grade you would be utilizing the Prospect-Refuge Theory in a simple game of hide and seek!

What is Prospect-Refuge Theory?

          Prospect-Refuge Theory states that all humans prefer "edge settings." An edge setting is the area in between open and closed space. Simply put, this means that we, as humans, do not want to be completely walled off where we cannot see out, but we also do not want to live in a glass house where everyone can see in. The walled off setting does not allow for a sense of prospect, while the glass house does not allow for a sense of refuge. A designer can and should take this theory and apply it to the interior and exterior setting of a client's space. By defining Prospect-Refuge Theory, its implications in built environments become clear. 

How can Prospect-Refuge Theory be applied to design?

         In an article published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, author C.M. Hagerhall quoted Jay Appleton, famed geographer, stating that he "argued that the ability to see (prospect) without being seen (refuge) was an intermediate step in the satisfaction of biological needs, and that an environment that seemed to ensure the fulfillment of those needs would be a source of immediate aesthetic satisfaction." Appleton's statement outlines why Prospect-Refuge Theory is so important when designing built environments. If the goal of each space is to satisfy the physical and psychological needs of the client, then prospect and refuge cannot be overlooked or left out. Many elements of a space can contribute to the prospect and refuge nature of the environment, including:

• Ceiling heights                                                   

• Line of sight from one room to another, such as from a kitchen to a living room

• Wall placement in a space

• Furniture selection and placement

• Location of exits

• The use of windows

• Balconies

• Gates and fences

       These are just a few examples of elements within spaces that contribute to the user's need for both prospect and refuge. All of these examples contribute to how comfortable a client or user is within the designed space.

       Let's walk through some real world examples of Prospect-Refuge Theory in built environments we experience every day.

Think about it this way, we've all been to a restaurant where the booths had tall backs. Because restaurants are usually just one large space, the designer employs these high-back booths to create a sense of refuge within that large, open space. Now, the booth, while it has a tall back, is not completely closed off. If it was, the design would not account for the user's need for prospect. High-back booths are an easy, and effective example of how Prospect-Refuge Theory works in a built environment to make the user of the space more comfortable. 

This structure is called Urban Refuge. Designer Amanda Choy employed Prospect-Refuge Theory by creating an environment with a solid back and a front wall full of windows and glass doors. This structure is situated between a parking lot in the back and the ocean in the front. This structure gives users a place where they can experience both the refuge of the structure and prospect of the sea. 

This is the pool house at my home. This structure is a great example of how a space employs Prospect-Refuge Theory. The structure is solid on the back and is completely open on the front. This design was intentional. The solid back of the structure provides my family with refuge from the woods behind the property and the rest of the neighborhood. The open front of the structure allows those in the pool house to cook, clean, or watch TV while also being able to see what is going on in the pool. This pool house is a simple and practical example of how Prospect-Refuge Theory can be used in everyday design. 

Resources:

Prospect and Refuge

Prospect and Refuge: Architecture and Design