I was walking down the street near my house one beautiful day, lost in thought.  At the time, I was marveling at the beauty of the brightly colored turn-of-the-century homes that fill my neighborhood when my attention was caught by the juxtaposition of some brand new infill.  This new house was just as nice as the older homes on the street, quite well done with obvious ties to some of the more prestigious local firms. I would safely categorize it into the “successful infill” category in my architectural file.  Yet, despite its overall success, I still have one slight complaint to make, a point I would like to call to attention as a plea to my fellow architects.

It is an absolute necessity to make a good front porch.

On all of the older houses surrounding the new piece of infill, large, comfortable, and obviously well-used front porches existed.  On the new home, a small, harsh platform had been tacked on to the front of the dwelling, and looked as though it had never been used.  Not even a deckchair had been placed upon it.  Upon noticing this fact the otherwise beautifully designed dwelling immediately went on my personal “uninhabitable” list.  Perhaps the home would not have made this list if it had not been so surrounded by successful front porches, but as it was, I could not help but compare. Plus I knew that if I ever actually lived there, I would daily be jealous of my neighbor’s porches.

It is not that contemporary architects do not know how to make good front porches.  The criteria for the development of outdoor spaces, like indoor spaces, is well-taught in the architectural curriculum.  Even so, it seems to be a modern trend to overlook the importance of the front porch.  Instead the porch is treated it as an afterthought, as it was in this particular new home.  It is added, and some of the design necessities met, but not all, and as a result, the porches fail. 

Good porches incorporate thoughtful location/orientation, sizing, separation, and sight lines.  It takes all of these criteria, not just some, to create a successful space that will be utilized by its inhabitants.  Older homes always have good porches, most likely due to the need of cool, well-lit spaces in times before electricity and its sibling, air-conditioning.   These spaces are large enough to comfortably sit multiple people, like a living room.  Successful porches, in fact, are literally outdoor living rooms.  Like other living spaces, they are oriented to provide the best light and views.  They are often sheltered from the elements by roofs, and elevated off the ground.  Both of these architectural moves separate the space from the street, thus providing its occupants with a sort of transparent shield.  Everyone, both porch and street dwellers, are still seen but fail to interact “on common ground,” thus providing privacy for both parties. Even without a roof or a raised platform, porches are provided with other means of separation, such as fences or vegetation.  Often, many of these moves are employed at once, in endless variety.  Yet sight lines, particularly with the street, are always maintained.  These sight lines enliven the room, providing it with ever-changing scenery, like a television.  Thus, with these criteria met, a successful porch arises.

With the rise of modern amenities, successful porches are less of a necessity than they have been historically.  Yet their necessity in the creation of a vital street has never disappeared.  Successful, occupied porches extend the warmth and vitality of the home onto the street, thus creating a warm and vital neighborhoods, places where people want to be.  Successful neighborhoods then create vibrant towns and cities, which contribute to successful states, and so on.  When you think about it, so much of the success of our space depends upon the public front we put on our private spaces, such as porches.  And somehow, afterthoughts just never cut it.