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| Photo by me One of the many secluded ski shacks. As you can see from the back ground, these are located in the forests so they are almost impossible to find if you don't know the exact location. These refuges offer warmth and safety. Many of them are tree houses so the elevated top level offers prospect of the mountain range. |
Prospect-refuge is a theory applied to a space that allows for opportunity and control in a place of safety. This theory explains why particular environments make you feel secure and meets basic human psychological needs. You can see prospect, but you are in refuge. This theory is not only applied to design, but nature as well. For instance, a baby bird can peak out (prospect), but it is protected in a tree (refuge).
Prospect is damaged if it doesn't show a natural view. Prospect could anything from window at your kitchen sink to a mountain range or large natural wonder. Prospect offers a sense of control too because you can see what is going on around you. Let's say your house has an open floor plan with a giant great room and tall ceilings. From your kitchen, you can see the activity happening in the dining and living area. This gives you control of your space because you have a wide span of your prospect in the space.
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| Sketch by me Apartment bedroom has prospect of city from the large window wall. |
Refuge is what gives us an escape from daily overstimulation such as stress, crowding, or even the weather. In Montana, the ski shacks offered refuge from crowding and snow. A refuge could be a canopy bed, or even a tree that provides shade from the heat. Refuge is simply any physical object to hide behind or cover you.
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| source The walls of the tent provide refuge as an outdoor canopy. This space is intended for relaxation and escape, with the prospect of the pool and natural wonders. |
When Prospect and Refuge work together, the end result is a desired environment in which the user has observational control while feeling safe and being hidden. Sometimes prospect-refuge can cause uncomfort in the wrong setting. At a doctor's office, big windows would not be appropriate in the patient's room. PEEPING TOM'S EXIST PEOPLE. At my dentist office, driving up to park you can see into every room where you have a lovely view of someone's root canal. Now let's say big windows were put into a patient's room at a hospital. This is different because elevation is factored in. Passerby's 200 feet below cannot see the patient or what is going on in their room. Also, time is factored in as well. The broad prospect from the patient's room might be the only aspect of the outside world they get to experience for days or weeks, so it is appropriate for a larger window to be in this setting.
Prospect-refuge plays a major role in spaces all around us. Before I was educated on the subject I never realized how almost every building I walked into is circulated around prospect-refuge. It's interesting to see the impact this strategy has on how we feel in a space.
References
Bogaard, K. (2017, May 17). Interior Habitats: The Theory of Prospect and Refuge. Retrieved November 2, 2018, from https://www.contractdesign.com/practice/healthcare/interior-habitats-the-theory-of-prospect-and-refuge/
Dosen, A. S. (2013, January). (PDF) Prospect and refuge theory: Constructing a critical ... Retrieved November 2, 2018, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286123657_Prospect_and_refuge_theory_Constructing_a_critical_definition_for_architecture_and_design
Sugihto, E. (2016, May 17). Prospect - refuge theory – Esther Sugihto – Medium. Retrieved November 2, 2018, from https://medium.com/@social_archi/prospect-refuge-theory-ca5d80379e51
