Rooms without a view are prisons for the people who have to stay in them.
From Windows Overlooking Life in A Pattern Language by Christoper Alexander et al.
At the Notch trailhead and the Castle Trail trailhead there are two more short trails, the Window and the Door.
These are also obvious architectural design patterns whose lack or presence in a building we much more easily perceive than their lack or presence in ourselves.
Windows offer a protected view, the exchange between inside and outside is virtual, and, like at the Window Trail, there is no safe way to step outside.
The Door is an entirely different story. And what Alexander writes about doors is valid also for our personal doors: Placing the main entrance is perhaps the single most important step you take during the evolution of a building plan.
On the map, the Door trail looks even shorter than the really very short Window trail, but the former does allow us to step outside into a vast landscape.
We instantly encounter unfamiliar heights, dangers, and the fear of getting lost.
So why should we step outside? What are the benefits of an encounter with the undesigned?
In essence, I think, this is a form of survival instinct. Life needs protection but doesn’t like confinement.
Tomorrow, we will begin to step outside — — —
The Inner Frame 