PatternRecommended
Concept: people (physical, social, psychological characteristics)
Peña, Problem Seeking — Ch 3 — Recurring Concept: PeopleDescription
People is the keystone concept: who lives here, what are their physical needs (mobility, eyesight, hearing, age), social needs (alone time, family time, hosting), psychological needs (light, view, refuge, prospect)? The household composition determines almost every other concept that follows.
Why this exists
A residential program rooted in the actual household scales differently than one rooted in resale generality. Both are valid choices, but they should be CHOSEN — explicitly at the start, not by drift.
Categories
Adjacency
Source
Caudill Rowlett Scott (via ERIC, US Dept of Education)authoritative
Problem Seeking: New Directions in Architectural Programming (early edition (ERIC ED037930, 1969))
Upgrade path: $75 for Problem Seeking 5th Edition (Wiley). 5th edition (2012, Wiley) is the current authoritative form of Peña's method. The ERIC PDF is the earliest published form — all the core method is present; later editions add case studies and refinements.
Section: Ch 3 — Recurring Concept: People
Published 1969-01-01 · last verified 2026-05-14
Solver enforcement
Browsable only — the solver does not currently enforce this directive (no spec-level data to check against). This entry exists so the architect personas can cite it in conversation and the user can read what the rule says.
Related directives
- Common Areas at the Heart · Pattern 129
- Intimacy Gradient · Pattern 127
- Indoor Sunlight · Pattern 128
- Children's Realm · Pattern 137
- Sequence of Sitting Spaces · Pattern 142
Last reviewed 2026-05-14.