149. RECEPTION WELCOMES YOU

<p>149 RECEPTION WELCOMES YOU</p>

<p>. . . in a public building, or an office where there are many people coming in, <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl80/apl80.htm">SELF-GOVERNING WORKSHOPS AND OFFICES (80)</a>, <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl81/apl81.htm">SMALL SERVICES WITHOUT RED TAPE (81)</a>, <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl91/apl91.htm">TRAVELER'S INN (91)</a>, <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl146/apl146.htm">FLEXIBLE OFFICE SPACE (146)</a> - the place inside the <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl130/apl130.htm">ENTRANCE ROOM (130)</a> plays an essential role; it must be built from the very start with the right atmosphere. This pattern was originally proposed by Clyde Dorsett of the National Institute of Mental Health, in a program for community mental health clinics.</p>

<p>Have you ever walked into a public building and been processed by the receptionist as if you were a package?</p>

<p>Therefore:</p>

<p>Arrange a series of welcoming things immediately inside the entrance - soft chairs, a fireplace, food, coffee. Place the reception desk so that it is not between the receptionist and the welcoming area, but to one side at an angle - so that she, or he, can get up and walk toward the people who come in, greet them, and then invite them to sit down</p>

<p>To make a person feel at ease, you must do the same for him as you would do to welcome him to your home; go toward him, greet him, offer him a chair, offer him some food and drink, and take his coat.</p>

<p>In most institutions the person arriving has to go toward the receptionist; the receptionist remains passive and offers nothing. To be welcoming the receptionist must initiate the action - come forward and greet the person, offer a chair, food, a seat by the fire, coffee. Since it is first impressions which count, this whole atmosphere should be the first thing a person encounters.</p>

<p>A beautiful example we know is the reception desk at Browns Hotel in London. You pass into the hotel through a small, unassuming entrance, not unlike the entrance to a house. You pass through two or three rooms; then come to the central room in which there are two old writing desks. The receptionist comes forward from an inner office, invites you to sit down in a com fortable chair at one of these writing desks, and sits down with you while you fill out the hotel register.</p>

<p>The reasons most reception areas fail completely to have this quality, is that the receptionist's desk forms a barrier, so that the desk and equipment together help to create an institutional atmosphere, quite at odds with the feeling of welcome.</p>

<div align="CENTER"><a id="75cf66e9-e931-41d0-b905-499b43145465" class="brain-processing" href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/threedots.jpg">https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/threedots.jpg</a></div>

<p>Place the fireplace most carefully, to be a focus - <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl181/apl181.htm">THE FIRE (181)</a> give the receptionist a workspace where she can be comfortable in her own work, and still make visitors feel welcome <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl183/apl183.htm">WORKSPACE ENCLOSURE (183)</a>; give the space <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl159/apl159.htm">LIGHT ON TWO SIDES (159)</a>; perhaps put in an alcove or a window seat for people who are waiting - <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl150/apl150.htm">A PLACE TO WAIT (150)</a>, <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl179/apl179.htm">ALCOVES (179)</a>, <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl180/apl180.htm">WINDOW PLACE (180)</a>. Make sure that the reception point itself is lighter than surrounding areas - <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl135/apl135.htm">TAPESTRY OF LIGHT AND DARK (135)</a>. And for the shape of the reception space start with <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/apl/apl191/apl191.htm">THE SHAPE OF INDOOR SPACE (191)</a>. . . .</p>

<p><em>A Pattern Language</em> is published by Oxford University Press, Copyright Christopher Alexander, 1977.</p>

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149. RECEPTION WELCOMES YOU

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