Across time, we’ve seen architecture evolve and change. Even if you don’t notice it, architecture plays a vital role in daily life. You may be wondering what makes architecture so important? Architecture is deeper than a vanity design for a building. Good designs help promote flow, improve quality of life for the users, and increase economic growth. How can a building do all of that just by existing?

Building Flow

Good architecture will drive the flow of traffic through your building. A hospital building that’s built like a maze won’t have good flow. Traffic will get backed up and cause problems for visitors and employees. A better hospital will be easy to navigate and have multiple ways to get to the same place in case of an emergency blocking one hall.

Flow isn’t only about the layout of hallways. A building with good flow will also have rooms placed carefully too. If a chef had to walk to the other side of the building to access the stove, it’s likely an inefficient layout.

Building flow goes past the original construction of the building as well. Building flow can be influenced by furniture placement. If a sofa or table is blocking the route to an exit, the room won’t have good flow. You can see flow influenced in grocery stores by shelving and displays.

Quality of Life

If you have a building that’s only four plain walls and one door, it’s considered a functional building. A building with four walls and a door doesn’t have much life to it. Let’s imagine that the building is a coffee shop. You can walk in and get your coffee from the plain building, but are you going to stay and enjoy your drink? You’ll most likely take your coffee to the local park down the road and enjoy it in the sun. Now let’s pretend that the coffee shop has a nice storefront, windows to let natural light in, and maybe even a patio outside. You’d be much more likely to drink your coffee at the cafe because it gives you a higher quality of life. The same goes for office buildings. Cramped offices with no natural light aren’t going to give employees a higher quality of life and can decrease productivity.

Economic Growth

Let’s go back to our coffee shop example. If our coffee shop is in Providence, RI, it probably won’t have a drive-thru. It would be ineffective and a waste of space. Providence is a high foot traffic area, so most business will come from walk-ins. The space we don’t want to use on a drive-thru would be better used for seating or a pickup station for online orders. Good architecture will consider location, business type, and business goal. Coffee shops aside, all businesses should factor these things in when designing their building.

Importance of Architecture

Architecture has meaning past what is easily visible. It can’t be overstated the effect that architecture has on daily life. It runs deeper than an aesthetic design for the exterior of a building. Architecture can completely change the uses and feel of a building. If you’re looking for a construction company to bring your buildings to life, Sole Source Construction is a multi-faceted company specializing in all things construction. You can call us for a quote at 401-712-2700.