Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1333960
88 Understanding the project e design process Understanding the space Understanding building structures e human interface Sustainable design Communicating design Organising the space e way in which we interact with other people is an expression of their status within our social group. Proxemics is the term used to describe the study of the way we interact with others. We keep a distance between ourselves in interpersonal situations that is an expression of various cultural and social factors. e anthropologist Edward T. Hall described the relationship of distance to status. He divided the relationship between status and distance into four categories: Intimate Space, where we embrace, touch or whisper. – Personal Space, the next smallest zone, which we reserve – for conversation with close friends or family. Social Space, an intermediate zone, which allows – for more general conversation and interaction with those who we may consider as friends or acquaintances. Public space, the largest zone, which accounts – for all other interactions with people. Proxemics Hall defi ned these zones by measurement, but there is considerable variation in the size of these zones by culture, gender and individual preference. We are innately aware of the eff ect of proxemics; most people feel uncomfortable in a li or elevator with other people that they do not know, an eff ect more pronounced when it is full. ough not as extreme, the same feelings will be experienced in any space, and so it is incumbent upon the designer to consider how these feelings can be moderated and allowed for. Providing more seats than are expected to be required in public spaces should ensure that anxiety about proximity to strangers is kept to a minimum. Try to put yourself in diff erent situations and imagine how you might tackle them through your planning solutions, remembering that the client's reaction to a situation may not be the same as your own.