WHAT IS CIRCULATION?
The concept of circulation refers to the way people move through space.
Circulation routes are the pathways people take through and around buildings or urban places. Circulation is often thought of as the 'space between the spaces', having a connective function, but it can be much more than that. It is the concept that captures the experience of moving our bodies around a building, three-dimensionally and through time.
components of circulation
architects typically divide their thinking according to different types of circulation, which overlay with one another and the overall planning.
1- direction of movement: horizontal or vertical; 2- type of use: public or private, front of house or back of house; 3- frequency of use: common or emergency; and 4- time of use: morning, day, evening, continuous.
Each of these types of circulation will require different architectural consideration. The movement might be fast or slow, mechanical or manual, undertaken in the dark or fully lit, crowded or individual. The pathways might be leisurely and winding, or narrow and direct.
Of these types of circulation, direction and use are often critical to a building layout.
DIRECTION Horizontal circulation might include hallways, atria, paths, entries and exits. It is also affected by the furniture layout, or other objects in the space such as columns, trees, or topographic changes. This is why architects usually furniture as part of a concept design, because it is critically linked to the flow, function and feeling of the space.
Vertical circulation is how people move up and down within the building, so includes things like stairs, lifts, ramps, ladders and escalators which allow us to move from one level to another.
USE Public circulation is the areas of the building which are most widely and easily accessible. In this guise, circulation is often overlapped with other functions, such as a lobby, atrium, or gallery, and is enhanced to a high level of architectural quality. Issues of visibility, how crowds move, and clear escape paths are key.
Private circulation accounts for the more intimate movements within the building, or the more ugly ones which require a degree of privacy. In a house this might be the back door, in a large building the back of house, staff offices or storage zones.