Pattern 36 suggests designing spaces with different levels of public and private areas. This means arranging places from the most public (like streets or plazas) to the most private (like homes or quiet gardens). Using in-between spaces, like porches or courtyards, helps people move comfortably from public to private areas. It also allows them to watch public life without feeling exposed. By offering choices and gradual transitions, this pattern creates welcoming environments that balance social interaction and privacy.

the Seattle Public Library

The Seattle Public Library, designed by OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) and Rem Koolhaas. The building organizes space with clear transitions between public, semi-public, and private areas, ensuring different levels of access and engagement.

 

Highly Public Spaces (Open to All)

• The Ground Floor & Entry Plaza: The large, welcoming plaza and open lobby invite people in, functioning as an extension of the street.
• The Living Room (Level 3): A massive, informal space with lounge seating, newspapers, and public gathering areas.

Semi-Public Spaces (Encouraging Engagement)

• The Mixing Chamber (Level 5): A flexible research space where visitors can interact with librarians and explore collections.
• Meeting Rooms & Event Spaces: Areas for workshops and community events, where access is controlled but still open to the public.

Semi-Private & Private Spaces (Restricted Access)

• Research & Staff Areas: Offices, storage spaces, and behind-the-scenes work areas accessible only to employees.
• Reading Rooms on Upper Floors: More secluded, quiet spaces for serious study, allowing visitors to step away from the activity below.

the Markthal

Markthal in Rotterdam, designed by MVRDV, is an innovative mixed-use building combining a vibrant indoor market, residential units, and offices. Designed with a dramatic arched roof, it integrates various levels of publicness, from open public market spaces to private residential areas, creating a dynamic hub for both locals and visitors.

Highly Public (Outdoor Plaza & Market Stalls): The open space around Markthal and the ground-floor market area are freely accessible to everyone, fostering a lively, interactive environment.

Semi-Public (Retail Shops & Restaurants): While still open to the public, these spaces introduce a commercial threshold—people enter with intent to shop or dine.

Less Public (Residential Entrances & Offices): The apartments and office spaces within the arch structure require keycard access, restricting entry to residents and employees.

Restricted Access (Private Apartments & Underground Parking): The most private areas, like individual residences and secured parking, are accessible only to authorized individuals.

This gradation of publicness makes Markthal a dynamic, multifunctional space where public interaction blends seamlessly with private living and working areas.

Pattern 63: Dancing in the Street emphasizes that streets and public spaces should be more than just pathways for movement they should be places of joy, spontaneity, and social connection. By designing streets with pedestrian-friendly areas, open plazas, and welcoming environments for music and dance, cities can foster vibrant, lively communities. From historic European squares to modern pedestrian zones, successful public spaces integrate this pattern to encourage celebration and human interaction, making urban life more dynamic and engaging.

Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas, a famous pedestrian street in Barcelona. This lively boulevard is lined with cafés, street performers, musicians, and open spaces that naturally encourage movement, dance, and celebration.

Public Performance Spaces: Street musicians, flamenco dancers, and living statues regularly entertain both locals and tourists.

Pedestrian-Friendly Design: A wide central promenade allows people to gather, move freely, and enjoy spontaneous cultural events.

Cultural and Festive Atmosphere: Festivals like La Mercè turn Las Ramblas into an even more dynamic stage for dance and music.

Mixed-Use Environment: The presence of cafés, markets (like La Boqueria), and theaters (such as the Gran Teatre del Liceu) enhances the social energy.

 

Carnival, Rio de Janeiro

During Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, the streets are transformed into vibrant, dynamic public spaces where music, dance, and celebration take over. The event turns public areas, like wide boulevards and plazas, into stages for spontaneous dancing and social gatherings. This transformation makes the city a canvas for cultural expression.

 

Pattern 69: Public Outdoor Room emphasizes the need for outdoor spaces that feel enclosed yet open, providing comfort and encouraging social interaction. By incorporating defined boundaries, human-scale proportions, and inviting elements like seating and shade, these spaces become natural gathering points. A well-designed public outdoor room fosters a sense of community, enhances urban livability, and transforms underutilized areas into welcoming, vibrant places for people to connect and relax.

 

Courtyard of the lijnbaan flats

Designed as part of the post-war Lijnbaan shopping district redevelopment, these gardens create peaceful, semi-enclosed outdoor spaces for residents while maintaining a connection to the surrounding urban environment.

How It Applies the Pattern:

• Defined Boundaries: The gardens are enclosed by the Lijnbaan apartment buildings, creating a sense of shelter and privacy.
• Human-Scale Design: The courtyards are designed at a comfortable scale, making them feel intimate and welcoming.
• Comfort & Amenities: Greenery, seating, and pathways encourage both relaxation and social interaction.
• Integration with Surroundings: Positioned between modernist residential buildings, the gardens provide a quiet retreat while remaining accessible to residents and visitors.

MACBA square

Designed with a minimalist, open layout, it serves as a flexible public space that accommodates various activities. Known globally for its appeal to skateboarders, the square’s smooth surfaces, ledges, and stairs have made it a popular skate spot. This dynamic interaction between skateboarders and other visitors creates a lively atmosphere, turning the square into an engaging social space. The design allows for movement, play, and relaxation, making it a vibrant urban "room" where art, sport, and public life seamlessly blend together.

Designed with a minimalist, open layout, it serves as a flexible public space that accommodates various activities. Known globally for its appeal to skateboarders, the square’s smooth surfaces, ledges, and stairs have made it a popular skate spot. This dynamic interaction between skateboarders and other visitors creates a lively atmosphere, turning the square into an engaging social space. The design allows for movement, play, and relaxation, making it a vibrant urban "room" where art, sport, and public life seamlessly blend together.

Pattern 120: Paths and Goals highlights the importance of designing walkways that lead to meaningful destinations, making movement through a space purposeful and engaging. Paths should not feel arbitrary; instead, they should guide people toward inviting places while offering a sense of discovery along the way. By integrating clear goals, visual interest, and a balance between directness and meandering, this pattern enhances navigation, usability, and the overall experience of a space, creating a more intuitive and enjoyable environment.

Prada's Spring/Summer 2022 mens's Show

The red tunnel in Prada’s Spring/Summer 2022 Men’s Show is a striking example of Pattern 120: Paths and Goals, where movement through space is intentionally designed to create a journey with meaning.

Defined Path: The models walked through a long, enclosed red tunnel, creating a sense of transition and anticipation.

Clear Goal: The tunnel opened dramatically onto a bright, open beach, offering a stark contrast between confinement and freedom.

Engagement Along the Way: The intense red color, shifting light, and immersive enclosure heightened the experience of movement, making the reveal of the beach more powerful.

Symbolic Journey: The transition from the tunnel to the beach reflected a narrative of escape, discovery, and openness, turning the act of walking into a meaningful exploration.

 

Efteling

Efteling, one of the most popular theme parks in Europe, uses clear pathways that lead visitors through distinct "goals," or themed areas, such as the Sprookjesbos, Raveleijn, and Baron 1898 rollercoaster. The park’s design creates a sense of progression, guiding visitors through various immersive environments while offering a clear focus on each attraction. Paths are carefully laid out to ensure visitors move naturally from one themed area to the next, providing a clear flow while maintaining surprise and discovery at every turn.

Each "goal" is marked by iconic featuressuch as castles, themed architecture, or major ridesmaking the journey exciting and intuitive, allowing guests to know where they're headed while enjoying the experience.

Pattern 172: Garden Growing Wild emphasizes the beauty and ecological benefits of letting gardens develop naturally rather than being overly controlled. Allowing plants to grow freely fosters biodiversity, resilience, and a deeper connection to nature, while also reducing maintenance. A wild garden creates a more dynamic, ever-changing landscape that feels alive, inviting, and emotionally rich, enhancing both the environment and human well-being.

Peter Zumthor and Piet Oudolf Serpentine Pavillion

Piet Oudolf’s garden within Peter Zumthor’s 2011 Serpentine Pavilion is a perfect expression of Pattern 172: Garden Growing Wild. This collaboration combined Zumthor’s minimalist, monastic architecture with Oudolf’s naturalistic planting, creating an immersive, contemplative space.

How It Reflects the Pattern:

A Hidden Wild Garden: The pavilion’s dark, enclosed exterior gave way to a vibrant, untamed courtyard garden, enhancing the feeling of discovery.

Embracing Natural Growth: Oudolf’s planting design featured self-seeding perennials, grasses, and wildflowers, evolving with time rather than being rigidly controlled.

Contrast Between Architecture & Nature: The stark simplicity of Zumthor’s structure heightened the experience of stepping into an organic, flourishing landscape.

Biodiversity & Sensory Engagement: The diverse plant palette attracted pollinators, changed with the seasons, and provided a sensory-rich experience of color, texture, and movement.

 

The Bosco Verticale

The Bosco Verticale designed by Stefano Boeri consists of two residential towers covered in a wide variety of plants and trees. Rather than creating manicured gardens, the towers allow plants to grow naturally, fostering biodiversity and creating an ecosystem within an urban setting. This "wild" approach to gardening integrates nature directly into the architecture, reducing the urban heat island effect and improving air quality. The towers' growing plants and trees change over time, creating a dynamic and ever-evolving landscape that offers residents and visitors a deeper connection to nature.

This design promotes environmental sustainability and demonstrates how wild plant growth can be integrated into modern architecture.