Architecture

I've been reading Michael Pollan's A Place of My Own, and I must say that although it's frequently more wordy than I like, it makes some interesting points about how houses work, what makes one better than the other - not just more functional, but more inviting, more prone to faciliate the human needs that we frequently aren't even aware exist.  For example, he quotes A Pattern Language, saying that a room with a window and a comfortable chair somewhere in the room will feel a certain tension, because you want to both be near the light and be in the comfortable chair.  Personally, I think that's a bit too sensitive, but I can see it.  But when he talks about Pattern Language's take on thick walls, that should not only provide for the necessities -- built-in bookshelves, for example, and insulation, but also provide a sense of protection and refuge -- I can really see it.  I think maybe that book's got something, there.