A Sense of Entry: Designing the Welcoming School - Hardcover

Ford, Alan; Hutton, Paul

9781864702385: A Sense of Entry: Designing the Welcoming School

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1864702389 ISBN 13: 9781864702385

Publisher: Images Publishing Dist Ac, 2007

Exploring 25 unique design solutions by Denver-based firm Hutton Ford, this book is a visual celebration and analysis of the role of entrances in architecture. Entrances serve many purposes. From defining the character of the architecture to the more practical aspects of the transition from outside to inside, they momentarily protect us from inclement weather as we launch between exterior and interior, like an environmental buffer to mitigate temperature changes, even allowing our vision to adjust to light changes. In the book, the architects illustrate the important role that successful entrance and movement design can have on creating a positive architectural experience.

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Review:

In the introduction, authors and architects Alan Ford and Paul Hutton admit, "When designing schools we did not necessarily set out to feature the entrances." However, they continue, 17 of their firm's academic projects demonstrate exemplary entryways that embody basic principles of design that have been influential over the centuries.

After providing a history of the entryways of iconic structures such as the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal, the 1958 Seagram Office Building, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the authors demonstrate their theory by looking at successful entryways of schools, including some of their own. A brief text introduces each of their projects, describing the elements of design they believe are vital to a welcoming entryway: "identity"--telling the building's story, "wayfinding"--helping users understand where the main entrance is, "influence of streets"--the school's relationship to the surrounding area, and "procession"--creating layers of entrance that transition users from exterior to interior spaces.

A plethora of photographs, many taken by the authors, illustrate each story. --Rebecca Ward, Architectural Record: Schools of the 21st Century (The McGraw-Hill Companies), January 2008

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