Personal Space: The Behavioural Basis of Design
By Robert Sommer
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First published 1969
Prentice Hall Trade
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Widely regarded as the classic text on user-centred design
of public buildings and spaces, this work studies how people relate to the
designed space around them and how the design of that space can affect their behaviour.
Examining human behaviour in spatial situations Sommer uses his own research as
well as that of others. Among the research areas explored are small group
ecology, territoriality, and the related concept of privacy. In these areas,
social interaction behaviour is of particular concern. Social behaviour is then
related to several specific areas or design settings which include a mental
hospital, the learning environment, the tavern, and college dormitories. Sommer
is best known for Personal Space but has written many other books and more than
600 publications on a variety of subjects.