Planning of building - Roominess and its principle.

Roominess is an important term used in planning of building. 

  Roominess is a psychological feeling about bigness or smallness of space or a room. This is a very interesting phenomena. It is common observation that a square room appears smaller than a rectangular room of exactly the same area.

  It seems mysterious but there is a reason for it. A rectangular room has greater perimeter than a square room of the same area. When we assess the largeness of the rooms, our eyes take a few microseconds more to observe the rectangular room. Thus our subconscious judges the rectangular room as bigger.

  In general, the length and breadth ratio of 1.5:1 to 2:1 is good for roominess. If length is increased beyond this, a bad effect sets and room appear even longer than it actually is. This effect is called tunnel effect.

  The height of a room also plays an important part in roominess. The height should be such that we have to look up sufficiently to see the junction of wall and ceiling. If the junction line of wall and ceiling is visible while standing up or by slightly turning the eyes up without turning the head up, it will give a cramped feeling to the room.

  But if the height is too much, it will give a chimney effect, and room appears even higher than it actually is.

  In architecture, roominess has a larger significance. By proper planning roominess can be increased. Also by proper decoration, a small room can appear much larger and much comfortable.

  A trapezoidal room appears roomier than a rectangular one. Nowadays, many planners make the common wall dividing two rectangular rooms slightly skew.

The principle of roominess

Now, a new term comes which is called "golden ratio" and is found in all natural things, for example -

• Ratio of the length of palm and the hand upto elbow.
• Ratio of the length of human body upto waist and total height.

Golden ratio was known from ancient times. It influences human mind effectively and produce sensation of liberation of space. freedom and pleasure.

If we divide a line into two segments, a and b (where a > b) such that (a+b)/a = a/b = Ø then Ø is called golden ratio.

  Thus, if the ratio of length to breadth of a room is equal to the golden ratio i.e.

(L+B)/L = L/B = 1.618033989

 then that room will give the feeling of maximum roominess.

  Another ancient knowledge recommends the ratio of 25:16 as the most comfortable and peaceful ratio. Many TV sets adopt this ratio for their screens for optimum viewing pleasure.

Thank you.