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Current page: PRV-ZONE-01
PatternRecommended

Public / private zoning

PRV-ZONE-01

Description

Bedrooms should be grouped together (private zone) and separated from public zones (living, kitchen, dining) by buffer space — hallways, closets, or stairs.

Why this exists

Group public rooms (kitchen, dining, living) on one side; private rooms (bedrooms, baths) on the other. Crossing zones during a typical day should be intentional, not constant.

Categories

PrivacyAdjacency

Source

Christopher Alexanderno manifest entry
A Pattern Language (1977)
Section: Pattern 127 (Intimacy Gradient)
Published 2026-05-09 · last verified 2026-05-09

Solver enforcement

The constraint solver runs check function prv-zone-01 as a soft constraint with weight 5.

Backed by research

  • Houses are most satisfying when public rooms (entry, living) sit at the front and intimacy increases toward the back / upstairs (family, primary bedroom). Visitors orient themselves quickly without needing a tour.

    Alexander et al. (1977), Oxford University PressPattern 127view source ↗

See the full research bibliography for context. Our licensing principle describes how we cite published research without using the underlying datasets.

Related directives

Last reviewed 2026-05-09.