Thursday, December 8, 2011

What’s Involved in an English Ramble? LOTS!



          One of the most anticipated aspects of our recent trip to the English countryside was to take several ‘rambles’.  England and Wales have over 140,000 miles of public footpaths that make ‘walking for pleasure through the countryside’ a guarantee.  These footpaths are considered a public right of way and only traveled by foot.  “Legally, a public right of way is part of the Queen’s highway and subject to protection in law as other highways.”

          My amazement was how these footpaths traverse over private property where the “ landowner has a duty to prevent crops from making the path difficult to find or follow AND a rambler has every right to walk through crops growing on or over the path as long as one follows the correct line.” It’s a rule of the road! 

          Having an official guidebook to chart a ramble was imperative to our experience.  Both map and narrative were keys to making the journey.  Here is a section of the directions that made our travel from Bibury to Coneygar achievable.  Truly – we would have lost our way otherwise!  I love how ‘care for the traveler’ includes notations on places to eat, resting spots for catching your breath, landmarks to keep you confident that you are on the path, walking conditions, and when to take in the view!

          Distance:  4.5 miles  Allow:  2.5 hours

          Park near the bridge over the River Coln in the center of Bibury, as the walk starts and ends opposite the Swan Hotel.  This walk has eating and drinking places at the beginning and again at the end. . . Set off from the bridge, following the B4425 road towards Burford, keeping the River Coln on your right. . . Leave the main road and walk straight ahead into the 'no entry' road and head for the church, still keeping the river on your right. . . Along here the tiny cottages         seem to crowd in on you from both sides as you climb the gentle slope. Ignore the track going off to your right and continue straight ahead up the slope.  

          Here is a good opportunity to catch your breath and look back on a truly unforgettable view of the river, valley and manor house . . . At the top of the slope the track becomes a muddy path which sweeps off left and you continue to follow it, still with the river on your left.  Ignore any paths going off to your right.  You have a wood and a dry stone wall on your left for the next part of the journey. When the path peters out go through a wooden gate and continue in the same line with the wall still on your left.  Remember this is a well used 'bridal way' so if the weather has been wet this path can become very muddy and slippery.  

          Gates and stiles are part of the journey and the excitement.  Because the footpaths travel through pastures, animals are in the vicinity and need to be protected.  A known ‘rule of the road’ is to close all gates behind you. Sometimes a stile rather than a gate is encountered.  Stiles are designed with primitive steps to require you to step up and over the fences. We discovered that these rambles also demanded agility and flexibility!

          Indeed, our rambles exercised both our muscles and hearts.  Breathtaking views, charming stone walls, the dash of pheasants in the field, the curiosity of sheep suddenly needing to share the path, the giddiness of our voices has we were constantly referring to the map and our location in the narrative directions.  (Once we found ourselves facing the sign BULL LOOSE IN FIELD and quickly diagnosed we had most certainly lost our place!)

          All in all we held a deep respect for the gift that private landowners give to the people of England. We felt a sense of responsibility to honor the code of that civic and long held covenant meant to share and provide enjoyment of the English landscape.  And just as English rocker, Led Zeppelin’s words invite us to Ramble On, I eagerly look forward to my next ramble, my next visit to the English soil.


Discover more about spaces and places at www.spatialimpact.com


Friday, November 18, 2011

LOOKING UP


          It dawned on me when in England recently, that in looking at buildings I do not often find myself looking up.  I could speculate on a number of reasons why this might be so, but in general I would say, is the  top of a building interesting enough to catch my attention?  Usually not.  What I do know is that when I landed on the English soil, suddenly I was drawn to the tops of buildings.  I was constantly ‘looking up’.   They were interesting and unique.  Each building ‘top’ had a personality that made me smile.  Some called for respect and dignity while others seemed more playful and artistic.  All  claimed  importance as a finishing touch to the building served.

           While my camera kept catching the chimneys, my writings described them as ‘a line of pottery jugs sitting on a shelf’.  I found them charming in every way.   No two were the same. Even on the row houses – each chimney was a bit different.  The number, the shape, the height of the ‘pottery jugs’ . . . each chimney claimed its own voice as it spoke to the sky above.   I began to think of buildings that make us look up - that seem to speak to the sky above.

          Cathedrals!  Anyone who has visited a European city, village, or town knows that the church steeples can be seen from miles away.  Often it is the ‘top of the church’ that we see before anything else.  They stand out.  They are noticed. They claim an importance.

         Historical information indicates that the  design of the steeple was to make the church visible from every part of town - similar to a tracking device that helps one navigate and find a location.  Steeples were to be the tallest structure in the town which also spoke to the importance of the church to the community’s life as a place to gather, discuss, connect, learn, and worship.

        There were two other important features of church steeples and both relate to communication.  It is in the steeple that the bells are located.  They were sounded at times of potential danger such as fire or an attack on the town - just as they were rung for religious celebrations and high holy days.  In some cases the steeple also acted as a lantern, providing light to the center of the town.  


         The words of Karl Phillipp Moritz ring true for me as well as I reflect on English buildings . . .  Westminster Abbey, the Tower, a steeple, one church, and then another, presented themselves to our view; and we could now plainly distinguish the high round chimneys on the tops of the houses, which yet seemed to us to form an innumerable number of smaller spires, or steeples.  

         The tops of buildings!  Personalities like artwork.  Certainly makes it worth ‘looking up’! 


And thus begins a series of blogs on English place stories . . .


To learn more about how spaces impact our behaviors visit spatialimpact.com

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

THE STORY OF SIMPLICITY - Our American Foursquare


‘According to ancient Roman belief, every independent being has its guardian spirit.  

This spirit gives life to people and places, accompanies them from birth to death, and determines their character or essence.’ (Phenomenology)  


          To think of each place as having a guardian spirit, a character that is basic to it, reminds me again of How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand.  In this book he takes a look at the multiple lives a building has in its lifetime.  Some buildings are designed to be adaptable, but most are built for a specific use that defines its character. A home, school, church, and an office building each have a specific use and thereby creating a different human experience. Historical buildings have committees who advocate for the ‘character and essence', but many others do not.  When the building’s spirit or character is compromised,  we can experience it as miss-matched or it may produce a negative or confusing feeling within us.


          In 2001, my husband and I purchased an American foursquare house.  This style of home architecture was built from 1895 – 1930 and had distinctive qualities: a box shape,  five panel doors, simple in design, and suited to make use of every inch of the house and lot.  We named the house ‘Simplicity’. She was built in two parts - the first structure at the turn of the century and the back section added in the 1920's. With each home decision we have attempted to keep the intention of its character, its essence. The simple lines of the window molding have not been hidden by draperies when possible.   Carpeting has not been laid over the beautiful wooden floors.  The three open porches are used as outdoor living spaces. Simplicity’s front door graces a hand-turned rather than an electric door bell.  One of the bathrooms houses a claw foot tub that welcomes relaxing bubble baths.  Everything is simple, minimal, and yet enough.


          Each of these decisions to maintain its essence as ‘simplicity’ has invited us to live simpler lives.  The first floor's ten and a half foot ceilings grace us with expanded space to breathe.  One of the rooms contains floor to ceiling shelving, more than likely intended as a pantry.  In our current lifestyle, this room was first transformed into the library, offering us a quiet and reflective place. Now one of our offices resides there.  The living room is arranged for storytelling and conversation. Chairs and sofas, lamps and tables create inviting nooks to hold the entertainment of one or more.  Our front dining room is used on most days and invites us to linger over a meal, share with others, and host celebrations. The kitchen is large and in the middle of the house. Tall double-hung windows invite natural light from the East and the West into this hub of the home - the place where people gather and from which smells of hospitality come as meals are prepared and shared.


          Simplicity has had other lives.  Stewart Brand says, ‘The house and its occupants mold to each other twenty-four hours a day, and the building accumulates the record of that intimacy.’  Prior to being rescued from demolition, moved to its present site and then remodeled, Simplicity housed a hair salon and tailor’s shop on the first floor with an apartment above. Earlier the house was the family home of a well-known elementary teacher in the village. Each of these ‘lives’ has been recorded in this place.


 ‘This spirit gives life to people and places, accompanies them from birth to death, and determines their character or essence.’   

People seem to enjoy coming to Simplicity.  She holds their stories and lives well.  She has been described as hospitable, uncomplicated, calming, safe, refreshing, and inspiring.  She sits well on her new lot.  We have added flowerbeds, trees and shrubs to complement her. When we are seated on the front porch we often hear, “We love your house” from those who walk by.  Perhaps this is because we have tried to listen and honor her ‘spirit’ in the transitioning of a turn of the century home into twenty-first century living.  

Learn more about spaces and places  . . .   www.spatialimpact.com

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

BUILDINGS SPEAK A LANGUAGE


“ . . . When you build a thing you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must also repair the world around it, and within it, so that the larger world at that one place becomes more coherent, and more whole; and the thing which you make takes its place in the web of nature, as you make it.”  From A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction

          Take a look around.  How often do we see buildings that stick-out and feel strange in their environments?  In the same breath, we also view buildings that are well matched to their settings. Some buildings have gardens or green space around them.  Others are found in the midst of change. In transitional neighborhoods an historic or older building may still be trying to hold a place of dignity.  It is also very likely that it is serving a different purpose than when it was first built. It is living a second or third life.

A Place in the Neighborhood

          The way a building sits in its 'neighborhood' speaks volumes.  Our human condition intuits whether this is a place we wish to enter. We look for places that welcome.  Seeing the exterior of the building and how it is involved with its environment shapes a first impression. Is it complimentary with the other buildings in the area?  Does it enhance the site?  Is there the possibility of planned green space? Is the signage fresh looking and easy to read?  Have people cared for the facility? Buildings that have been given care suggest that the people inside will do the same for us.

          Many buildings simply look sad.  Rather than being complimentary and enhancing their neighborhood, they look tired, out of place, or as a keeper of the past.  It looks as if all energy has left. We may be hesitant to enter. We may make assumptions about the people and businesses inside. A building’s place in the neighborhood is important. It shapes the neighborhood by being involved in the life of that land, location, and space.


Buildings Speak a Language

          Our buildings speak a language. They tell us whether they are loved or ignored. They tell us of the energy and spirit of those who use them. They easily invite or distance a guest. They encourage or complicate new ideas. Does this building look tired and out of date or refreshed and vital? Is everyone able to enter safely, comfortably, without hesitation? What is this building saying to those who pass by? What does it say about what we do, who we are?  In designer Helen Berliner’s words, “What is the MOST we can GIVE to users of this place, to its surroundings and community, to the future, and to all of life?”  A building is carefully planned by paying attention to the lives and needs of people.  What is the MOST our buildings can GIVE to the people they house and the neighborhoods in which they live?

See more about space consulting at www.spatialimpact.com

Thursday, September 1, 2011

A PLACE on the Calendar




          It’s September lst.  Its PLACE on the calendar means that today is the first day of a new month.  In our culture, September has long been thought of as the beginning of the fall season.  Summer is behind us.  The time for vacations and summer activities has come to a close. The summer foods begin to fade away (fresh sweet corn comes to mind), while apples and squash begin to make an appearance.  

          The PLACE on the calendar tells us that a new schedule awaits us - a new rhythm to our days and weekends is before us.  In some ways it invites a renewal of the everyday and ordinary life.  The days of living outside are changing.  We begin to plan indoor house projects, clean the closets, schedule our lives differently.  Meetings that were on hiatus during the summer start up again.  A new eight week yoga session invites us. Just as the children purchase new school supplies and clothing, even we, who are long past living in the cadence of the school year, start anew as well. 

          Today on my walk/run, I felt like that familiar phrase – ‘Today is the first day of the rest of my life!’  Yes, I can do this.  It is good for me.  Begin the day with yoga then walk.  I can do this!  I know how great I feel when I do.  Certainly this can be my every day morning practice. Yes!     (By the way - I am not lending an ear to that inner voice that doubts the renewed commitment to fitness by saying – Wonder how long this will last?)

          What is it about a PLACE on the calendar that gives energy, intensity, a readiness for something new, a commitment to that which makes us a better person?  What fall foods are you eager to taste? (Oh my – pumpkin pie and caramel apples come to mind!  Never think about them in the summer.)  What favorite sweaters are about to replace those summer sleeveless shirts?  Have you traded your allegiance from baseball to football?  What flowers have had their day in the sun and now those that have waited for this PLACE on the calendar are becoming colorful? What new ‘thing’ are you about as this PLACE on the calendar announces its arrival?  Let me know . . .


Learn more about PLACES and SPACES at www.spatialimpact.com







Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Kroger Building - A Building that Learned

Recently I was at a networking event held at the Kroger Building in Madison, Wisconsin.  Walking into this former grocery warehouse was witnessing both the present and the past in a beautiful partnership.  That led me to interview the partners of Delta Properties, Bruce Wunnicke and John Koffel, about their remarkable building.

Taking an old building and helping it learn is what these two guys are about.  I was most curious about the process involved in selecting a building.  “We look for quality.  We also must have an affinity with the space because we will be working with it for a long time. Each of our buildings reflects us and what we believe in.”

What Bruce and John believe in is valuing the natural elements that are evident in a building. In fact, it was the design intention to incorporate the ‘art of the building as art’. This meant to keep as much as natural as possible and as simple as possible – allowing the art of the building to be seen and showcased.  We love the natural elements – especially wood. Day-lighting opportunities and the ability to have all windows able to be opened for natural air flow are key components.  It’s our job to highlight these natural attributes and then expand them.  In addition, at every level we look for ways to recycle the natural materials found in the building.”

This led me to ask: What does a building tell you as you begin to work with it? Bruce quickly answered, Whatever the building presents to us is what we embellish.  In the case of the Kroger Building it was the heavy wooden beams that excited us. It’s also a building that is big and mysterious.  The beams give it definition.”  These strong beams are evident throughout the building and as the spaces for offices were designed, it was the beams that Bruce and John wanted to accent and showcase.  Old wooden floors and hallways that curve add to the charm and mystique of this big and mysterious building. The structure and design embody minimalism and simplicity – allowing us to experience the old and the new.


                Originally the building was oriented toward the train tracks since its earlier life was a warehouse where goods were loaded and unloaded.  In its new life the main entrance is now off the parking lot - located on the opposite side of the building.  This makes the arrival by car of its current workers and their clients to be just as effortless. An awning, reminiscent of the original trackside loading dock, has been added to not only identify the new entrance but also protect its guests from the weather.

Stewart Brand, author of How Buildings Learn, asked everyone he interviewed this question:  What makes a building come to be loved?  Brian Eno, the British rock musician and avant-garde artist, shared this response.  “We are convinced by things that show internal complexity, that show the traces of an interesting evolution.  The signs tell us that we might be rewarded if we accord it our trust. An important aspect of design is the degree to which the object involves you in its own completion.  Some work invites you into itself by not offering a finished, glossy, one-reading-only surface.  This is what makes old buildings interesting.  I think that humans have a taste for things that not only show that they have been through a process of evolution, but which also show they are still a part of one.”

I think this is true of the Kroger Building.  The gifted developers, Bruce Wunnicke and John Koffel, have allowed us to see and be part of the process of the evolution in this building, have highlighted its strong and unique art forms, and have given this building the respect it deserves.   I asked one of the new tenants why they moved their business from their previous location to this building.  His response: “Our former space no longer reflected who we were. This space is who we are and who we are becoming.”  I cannot think of a better compliment.  Can you?


Thursday, August 4, 2011

HOW BUILDINGS LEARN

A number of years ago I discovered a book by Stewart Brand called How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built.  This title has continued to fascinate me.  The idea that buildings ‘learn’ was a most interesting concept and the more one truly thinks about it, it makes so much sense.  Buildings learn all the time!  

Take our house for example.  Built around the turn of the century as a family home it served in that capacity for years.  Then – as the neighborhood changed – the use of the house did as well. It learned to be a hair salon and tailor shop on the lower level and an apartment on the upper floor.  When some major changes were happening in the development of our village – it was scheduled to be demolished because it was in the way of progress.  Two souls not only saw its potential but had financial and handyman gifts to offer.  They saved the house by moving it to a new neighborhood.  Once again it ‘learned’ to be a single family dwelling.  That’s when we entered the picture. 

And we have asked it to learn and stretch in the ten years we have lived here. Last summer our son and family moved into our second floor while their home was being built.  To keep everyone’s privacy intact, my husband and I moved our offices, library and bedroom to the lower floor.  Our offices have been in four different rooms over those years!  Our daughter’s bedroom has become the ‘visiting artist’ overnight retreat space. 

Just think about your own spaces . . . how have they learned to be something different as your needs have changed?  Hmmmm . . . What did your bedroom turn into when you left home? 

This learning happens to commercial buildings all the time.  The original owner builds it as a fast food restaurant.  Over time, the restaurant fails and the building then becomes a real estate office.  Interesting that when it becomes ‘whatever is next’ – we often still SEE the fast food restaurant’s shape and identity.  It’s as if the DNA of the building is still present.

 “Commercial buildings have to adapt quickly, often radically, because of intense competitive pressure to perform, and they are subject to the rapid advances that occur in any industry.  Commercial buildings are forever metamorphic,” says author Stewart Brand.  He further comments that buildings get pushed around by three forces – technology, money, and fashion.

Perhaps technology means the ability to adapt to what is new and current. This is often complicated and costly for buildings to update to the new regulations in order to protect workers and community.  Just think of the short list around electrical, air intake, fire requirements, plumbing, and the basic structure.  These are the unseen adventures of a building’s life span that are a must to keep it safe and functional.  

Fashion is what we see and more frequently react to – is it appealing, unique, inviting? Does the ‘look’ suit the new intention? When the technology, money, and fashion adapt to meet the new use, the new day - it very frequently changes the original neighborhood.

So here is your homework assignment . . . begin noticing buildings that have learned and buildings in the process of learning.  Are you able to detect the original DNA???  Let me know what you learn!

P.S.  The photos are of ‘once upon’ cabins that have learned to be an ice cream shop and women’s boutique.

Learn more at www.spatialimpact.com

Monday, July 25, 2011

Part II – The Nature of a Porch –Its Exterior Life



          Porches are making a comeback!  The front porch provides an ‘interface between inside and outside, private and public, viewer and viewed.’  It is this in-between aspect that makes the front porch not only an architectural place but also a social one.

          Here is a little history for you . . . For a full century, until immediately after WWII, the front porch remained a vital ingredient of American architecture.  It was the place people gathered news of the world – an outdoor parlor where gossip and information were treated as one.  But as Americans took to their cars, this arena for casual social interaction became obsolete.  The layout of the suburbs was built to be driven through, not to be walked in. (Geography of HomeAkiko Busch) 


         Another author puts it this way: The porch goes back to antiquity, but Americans since Washington and Jefferson have embraced it with special gusto. The so-called piazza was first popular in the South, where it provided cool shade.  People sat on their steps or benches and in time, the stoop grew larger, acquired a roof, and became a porch. The Victorian period, which venerated both fresh air and pale complexions, was the golden age of porches. . . Until the 1950's, the front porch was America's sitting room on the street. (House Thinking -  Winifred Gallagher)     

          Where once the front porch was a way of life for the American people, in recent years we have begun living more privately in the back of our homes.  Patios and decks became popular and the new styles of homes being built were void of a front porch. Also evident during this time was the disappearance of the front sidewalk.   We drove into our garage to enter the house and the ways of bumping into a neighbor became much more involved.   The gain in privacy often meant a loss in community.

          Sociologists, architects, community developers, and urban planners took note of this trend and its effects.  Intentional neighborhoods began to be designed with front porches on the houses, sidewalks, alleys, and detached garages.  The study discovered that people became much more aware of their neighbors because they knew each other by sight, sound, and story. It continues to be the hope that this ‘design’ will assist us in more natural ways of being ‘neighborly’ - friendlier and interested in the welfare of those around us.

          I can speak to this personally. Our home has three porches – one in the front and two on the side.  We have noticed that no one ‘bothers us’ when we sit on the side porches even though we can be seen.  The positioning of the location of this porch says ‘private- do not disturb’.  But when we sit on the front porch, those who are walking or pass by in their cars will wave, say hi or strike up a conversation. A remarkable difference!

          When I asked others about front porches, many responded with its importance to community.

The porch space opens up the mind and spirit to conversation, thoughtfulness, and friendship.  It lets you sit still and build a community through conversation, song, and prayer.

Big wrap-around porches on old Victorian houses are great places for neighborhood children to put on summer plays.

A place for friendliness . . . A place for neighbors to run into you.

Every Friday in summer a neighbor couple with a gorgeous front porch has ‘open porch night’.  Great conversations, great times together.

As we speak, our front steps (1950’s cement with wrought iron rails) are being torn out and replaced with a larger wooden porch with room for chairs, flowers, and neighbors!

         
        So if you have a porch, lucky you!  And if not, the front stoop might be just as magical.  Wishing you ‘good times’ and Happy Porching!  


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Part I - The Nature of a Porch - Its INTERIOR Life

When I say the word PORCH what images, memories, feelings immediately come to mind?   Now - hold those thoughts for just one moment.  When I talk about PORCH, I am talking about that covered platform at an entrance to a home – often with its own roof.  It can be small or large – with a single chair or many - open to the outdoor elements or enclosed.  Are more porches coming to mind?  


In her book Geography of Home, Akiko Busch acknowledges that how one feels about a porch begins this way.  Is a porch to be a seasonal experience - open to the natural elements only when the weather is warm or is a porch to be enclosed - able to be used all year round?  However a porch is used, it seems to invite a transition in how we live.  It slows us down, provides us with a different perspective than we have in the midst of the four walls of our house.  The porch opens us physically to the outside and mentally into dreaming, imagining, and remembering.


Lee Krasner, the wife of abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock and herself a gifted painter, reflected on the ‘nature of a porch’.  With Jackson there was quiet solitude. Just to sit and look at the landscape. An inner quietness. After dinner, to sit on the back porch and look at the light. No need for talking. For any kind of communication.  I was curious how others felt about the ‘nature of a porch’ so I returned to my great and rich resource of Facebook friends by asking them ‘Why do you love porches?’  Here are some of their responses: 

·        It’s a place for transition!

·        Outside yet still sheltered; inside yet partially exposed. Speaks to the needs of the emerging spirit.

·        Porches are like a hand rolling out an invitation to come sit and rest for awhile....the heart is open ...making time and space.

·        It's place to go to rest, relax, and unwind. Solitude. Always looking for new ways to make it even more comfy.

·        There's nothing like a porch that helps people slow down, to be present in the quiet, to sip some lemonade or coffee, and let go of the outside world. The porch space opens up the mind and spirit to conversation, thoughtfulness, and friendship.


Others shared memories. As you read them, you may find yourself relaxing with them - drawn to a time seemingly slower and simpler.

                                                                                              
·        I love my screened in porch. I love the daybed for reading and the porch swing. I grew up with a porch swing and had a lot of relaxing times on a porch! We also have my husband's family's old hutch out there that made its way from Nebraska on a covered wagon.  If it’s just right porch weather it really expands the space of our home!


·        Thinking of sitting on my grandparents' screened in porch. Gentle breezes; a way to listen to one's surroundings without having to be physically connected to them; fun place for lunch or dinner; rocking; thinking; relaxing to the point of almost sleeping; a feeling of protection while watching a storm stir up and the rain fall.

·        A porch changed my life!  Seriously!! It was a porch where I could look out into the hills and write in my journal, sit with my friends and have the most amazing talks, dance in a square to some traditional mountain music, laugh so hard I cried, and almost always feel a sense of peace. It was the right place to be at that time. That porch reminds me of a time when I was trying to figure out how to live my life, how my work could reflect my values, and how I figured out that simplicity was the way I knew I wanted to live. That porch in Jonesville taught me to be myself, to appreciate God's great earth, and to always be mindful and thankful for its simplicity.


          This is the power of a simple appendage to a house - introducing us to that space between two worlds – that of being inside and outside at the same time.  This simple space that brings a sense of calm, rest, and the opportunity to think on life, does amazing good to our natures!! 


Coming Soon:    Part II – The Nature of a Porch – Its Exterior Life

Thursday, June 16, 2011

This Taco John's is a Great Good Place

When you think of fast food restaurants have you ever used the words welcoming, comfortable, and accommodating to describe the space?  Not likely!  That is until you walk into Taco Johns in Rice Lake, WisconsinThis is not your ordinary fast food franchise!  This space invites you to linger (yes, you heard me correctly -LINGER – the word fast food places do NOT want their customers to engage at any level).  This Taco John’s could easily be a ‘third place’ – a place to meet others, enjoy spending time together while lingering over food and conversation.

I was so impressed with this space that I took notes and sent a letter to their corporate office!  Here is what stood out to me:  

·        The exterior appearance is delightfully pleasing – especially the lighting which adds interest as well as safety at night

·        The layout of the dining space is inviting, varied, and has good flow


·        Brown wooden chairs (wonderfully moveable to accommodate
customer needs) add warmth and a sense of home comfort

·        Restrooms are clean and very roomy – Please note that extra space in restrooms is always appreciated by women!

·        Brown tin ceiling tiles bring interest to the center space and make it unique from the rest of the room


·        Warmth and texture are added by the stone fireplace

·        The TV, located over the fireplace, is visible but does not intrude or invade the entire dining space 


·        Varied seating provides support and accommodation to many uses and needs for single diners, just for two, families, and groups by its high bistro tables, small cafĂ© tables, booths, a large circular table for conferencing, and a curved booth that is open on one side for easy access

·        The first impression is CLEAN and ORDERLY


·        A sense of quality is evident in the attention to each detail

George Ritzer, author of The McDonalization of Society, has argued that the fast food industry has valued efficiency over other human values.  A restaurant consultant once shared with me that the lingo used in the industry is to create ‘an experience’ for the dining customer. 
 
Certainly this franchise, owned by Kevin Vance, has given considerable thought to the importance of the space in adding to a customer’s comfort and experience. This Taco John’s provides a welcoming, comfortable, and accommodating place for a lonely traveler, a tired single parent, a celebration, a staff meeting, and a first date.  It is my hope that many more fast food places will give thought to their spaces!  Thank you, Kevin Vance, for this great good space

To read more about how our spaces impact our behaviors visit www.spatialimpact.com.