What makes courtyards and gardens so pleasant?

a step into mother nature.

Perhaps the interaction with nature has something to do with it, but the feeling of being in an active and well-made courtyard is distinct from wandering in the woods on a hike, or something like that.

I guess I meant this more from a constructive point of view (notice the architecture tag); how can we make courtyards that live up to all a courtyard should be, which is to say, what is all a courtyard should be?

the secret garden?

plants

Fresh air sun shine and plants

well I think that does speak to your question. A courtyard, architecturally (sp) should be a slice of the feeling one has when walking in nature. A moments pause, to breathe without being boxed in by a man made structure above your head…

I like it. How might we frame such a moment to emphasize its essence?

What kind of plants should it have? Should it be completely closed, or have several ways in and out? Ivy? Stone? Water?

One of the most beautiful courtyards where I am is at The Cloisters in upper Manhattan. I like the way man made objects blend in with the greenery and creates a sort of harmony. I find it very peaceful there.

I think the Japanese have really nailed the out door garden/ courtyard. You might hit the bookstore or library for reference. I think it should have at least two points of entry / exit. A quiet place to read, sit, pause, breathe. Words that come to mind are lush, tranquil , secure, solid. Water is key. A fountain or small pond (think koi). Ideally if this is more than one household, there would be pockets where several occupants could be thereat the same time and unknown to each other…ideally..

It’s a nice reprieve from the concrete that dominates the majority of our surroundings.
A commune with nature, softness in contrast to our everyday lines and angles.
With a dash of control over nature itself.

i like the smell

I think in a wonderful courtyard, the “structure” disappears and you truly feel like you have moved into nature. Yes, more than one entrance/exit – most forests, parks and the like, do have multiple points of entrance/exit.

The construction should lend to the ability to blend and not be the focal point.

I love lush greens, some flowers, but truly, the full lush greens, something so peaceful about it!

Are you studying architecture or just curious?

The are a closed off haven from the rest of the world. There is no pressure, no sense of urgency. It is calm.

tranquility

While a gardener gives a garden direction, the garden shapes itself over time.

@cak Architectural theory is a kind of fascination of mine. I’m really into the works of Christopher Alexander and I asked this question to see how a discussion between so-called “lay people” would correspond with what he says would arise in such a discussion.

So far, it looks like people have confirmed some of his points. For instance, in a chapter in A Pattern Language, on “courtyards which live,” he concludes:

“Place every courtyard in such a way that there is a view out of it to some larger open space; place it so that at least two or three doors open from building into it and so that the natural paths which connect these doors or doorways pass across the courtyard. And, at one edge, beside a door, make a roofed veranda or porch, which is continuous with both the inside and the courtyard.”

Personally, I would love a courtyard that opened to the south of the building off a wide arcade (which would serve as the “porch” in Alexander’s description), with some vines growing on the exterior of the arcade to filter the sunlight coming from the south (if in the northern hemisphere). The enclosing wall opposite the arcade/porch would be much shorter than the other walls, no more than 6 or 7 feet, so that as much sun could get in as possible. on that wall would be an arched entrance onto a park or meadow, and on one of the two walls adjacent the porch would be an inset door, and on the other a large opening (that is, not an arch but a place where the wall takes a break) where there would be a smaller court, with only two walls, one of which would have a door going into another wing of the main building. Perhaps an old tree in the southwest corner, and nooks and crannies all around the walls, with benches, stone paths, and lots of greens and a few flowers, not too obsessively arranged, and a fountain, so that there can be some water (I definitely agree with bigbanana on that).

Thoughts?

Thats all you agree with bigbanana?

@bigbanana No, sorry if that was unclear. I meant I agreed with the things you said about water in a courtyard. The rest was responding to Cak’s question and trying to clarify my original question.

@aeschylus – Thank you for the clarification. I’ll respond in a bit. I’m looking for some photos to post. I can’t find them. I have the exact vision in my opinion of a perfect courtyard.

I do believe though, that any architecture of a courtyard, should work to include what is already there, naturally – trees and maybe long established vines. The paths, benches and walls, should never be imposing and only there to support the vegetation.

I know what I like about gardens and courtyards, but am not 100% sure why I like those things. Perhaps it has something to do with them being cooler and softer than the concrete that often surrounds us. Perhaps it’s the slightly higher oxygen levels in a garden where the plants are absorbing the carbon dioxide. The reduced noise and activity levels are probably part of their soothing charm, as well. They are slices of nature without the overt risk of predators lurking in the shadows.

@Cak That’s a very interesting point about incorporating what is already there. I know that’s what happens in a lot of traditional architecture, such as when a family adds onto their house in perpendicular wings as their family incorporates more and more generations, eventually enclosing a space, where their was probably already a tree and some rocks, etc.

I wonder what all us nature-deprived city people are to do about that. I agree, I think enclosing something that was already there and cultivating it a little bit is a lot better than a completely contrived space.