Here is that same table, with only those two spaces shown. Start by looking at the space requirements for the Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom. Here is a simple matrix for a residential project: Now, let’s see what this actually looks like. Obviously you can expand on this if desired, but for most projects this three tier adjacency rating is sufficient. Most commonly I see the following: Primary Adjacency (spaces must be directly next to each other), Secondary Adjacency (spaces must be close to each other), and Undesired Adjacency (spaces should not be close to each other).

The box at the intersection will contain a symbol associated with different adjacency types. When you need to see what the adjacencies of two spaces are, you locate the two area names and then follow their rows of boxes to where they intersect. Here we go…Īll programmed spaces are listed on one side of the table. Harmonique Adjacency Matrixįortunately, once you know how, reading any size matrix is easy. For example, this matrix from my undergraduate capstone project at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point has a lot of good information, but can be an intimidating place to start. Google search “Interior Design Adjacency Matrix” and you will find tables so complex you will shudder at the thought of creating on yourself. You use it to easily make sure you are giving the client what they want when you move on to space planning via bubble diagrams and block diagrams. In my experience, the adjacency matrix is not particularly useful as a space planning tool, but is useful as a reference. If done correctly, all of that information is right at your fingertips. Spending the time to draw this matrix means that you no longer have to leaf through your program every time you can’t remember if the client wants the Board Room close to the Break Room. In interior design an adjacency matrix is a table that shows what spaces should and should not be near to each other on plan. In this case we use the word ‘adjacent’ to mean: “lying near, close, or contiguous adjoining neighboring.” In simple terms, to be adjacent is to be near to something. One of these tools is called The Adjacency Matrix. Luckily, tools exist to help bridge the gap between program and plan. It’s about taking abstract concepts and requirements from your client and shaping them into a usable preliminary plan. Moving from programming to schematic design is difficult. The programming phase of your project is complete! Lists have been made of required spaces, questions have been asked, preliminary concepts approved, and now you sit with a blank building footprint, trying to draw the first wall. In this post I will show you first how to read an adjacency matrix, and then will share a few tools and templates you can use to create your own.

Adjacency matrix