Architecture for Walking
One of the great design features at our Design Yard facility in Holland, Michigan, is a walkway that extends from one end of the building to the other. Lined with windows and without doors to negotiate, the walkway is a great space to meet people, exhibit art and creative projects, look outside, and exercise.
This last option fits in with our Health Management Program, which includes bicycle commuting, fitness programs, and flu shots. Why just the other day, as I was walking to lunch, I was nearly run over by the group in this picture. As I rounded a corner, they came barreling along, talking away, and intent on doing their noon-time walk. We all smiled, said hello, and I thought, “That’s one of the things I like about this place—work is part of life, and not the other way round.”
That’s a great idea. The last place I worked had a really long, curved drive leading from the main entrance to the actual office building. Employees used to jog or walk on the grass beside the paved driveway for exercise on their lunch breaks. Then someone decided it was too dangerous and everyone was prohibited from exercising along the roadway anymore.
This kind of interior pedestrian walkway would be much safer (except for nearly getting run over by power walkers like what happened to you). Walking throughout the day is also much more fun than trying to squeeze a gym visit into your lunch break.
Daisy McCarty