Ceiling heights

A floor plan of a house is a two-dimensional representation of a grouping of three–dimensional volumes connected within space. When investigating a floor plan we often forget this, becoming preoccupied with the horizontal dimensions of length and breadth and loosing sight of the third critical dimension in the definition of a room: height.

Ceiling height plays a critical role in how we perceive a space and how we feel within it. A home with identical ceiling heights throughout won’t be as inviting or comfortable as one that has variation. The reason is simple. The raising and lowering of a ceiling has a direct psychological effect on how we perceive intimacy and community within a space.

Kallweit Graham Architecture

Raising a ceiling height will typically increase a sense of formality while lowering it will increase a sense of intimacy. Picture the soaring atrium in the Vancouver library and how its enormous ceiling height is ideal for its public function while, at the opposite of the spectrum, in the most private place of all, the confining height of a canopy above a marital bed creates the perfect intimate zone. When ceiling heights are uniform within a home the psychological cue to formality and intimacy becomes muddled.

Unfortunately in a world where standard building components tend to direct the proportion of space, uniformity often becomes the norm. The standard 8ft ceiling height is not dictated by a desired proportion of space but rather by a standard length of drywall.

There is no absolute correct height for a given space but recognizing the role of proportion in the perception of space is a critical first step in good design. The Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio evolved theories of proportion relating to a rooms width and length while traditional Japanese architects used formulas to create what they thought was the magic balance. Culture, environment and necessity all play a role on overall spatial size and perceived comfort and all have an influence on ceiling height.

I feel firmly that the most important element for ceiling levels within a home is their variation relative to one another. There is no absolute perfect number for a given room but varying ceiling heights between spaces will directly affect how these spaces are perceived and how they will be comfortably used. It’s simple stuff really that’s almost primal to us. A young child will always tuck themselves away in a nook when feeling insecure or threatened.

A confining space is more intimate that a large one. Incorporating this simple concept in the creation of ceiling levels goes a long way to creating a comfortable home.