Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Theory Reading Response : Feb. 25

Sommer’s describes in his article that groups of any kind are people interacting and depending on the different types of groups, people interact differently.  When thinking about designing a dinning space one must first consider Sommer’s theories on social interaction and how people interact.  People tend to hold conversations within small groups.  For example, if one had a group of 50 people within a matter of minutes those 50 people would merge into several small groups.  This happens simply because it is easier to hold a conversation with 2 to 3 people rather than 50.  When thinking about this in a dinning setting, it would be best to have an arrangement of tables for 4 to 6 people.  One must also consider convince of conversation at tables.  Sommer’s tells us that most table conversations happen in a triangle form, meaning the people most likely to be carrying on a dinner conversation would be,  the person across from you or diagonal and the person beside you.  Tables for easier conversation would be round tables however, I find rectangular tables to be more tradition when you have a small party of people.  However if there is a large group of people it is easier to see and talk to everyone at a round table.  The focus on distance and intimacy are also important concerns when designing a dinning setting and table.  A table for a romantic dinner would be different than a table for a business meal.  Sommer’s article is really helpful when looking at how people to interact in different social setting and can be a very helpful article for designing any place for people to socialize.

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