Field guide · circulation
Read the occupied room, not the empty floor
A route is the space a body needs while doors, chairs, drawers and furniture are in the positions people actually use. A piece can fit geometrically and still fail the room once it is occupied.
Field guide · circulation
Read the occupied room, not the empty floor
A route is the space a body needs while doors, chairs, drawers and furniture are in the positions people actually use. A piece can fit geometrically and still fail the room once it is occupied.
Read it
- 01Mark the real origin and destination: door to seat, fridge to sink, bed to closet — not an imaginary diagonal through furniture.
- 02Measure the narrowest point with doors, chairs and drawers in their normal open or occupied position.
- 03Separate a one-off pinch from a route that is constrained for most of its length.
Test it
- 01Photograph or mark the current pinch point.
- 02Move one reversible obstruction only.
- 03Walk the route carrying what the room normally asks you to carry, then measure the same narrow point again.
What counts as proof
The proof is a wider measured route with the same room in use — not a floor plan that looks cleaner.
- Room Lab clearance thresholds are planning heuristics, not a substitute for local accessibility, egress or life-safety requirements.
Where this comes from
links reviewed 2026-09-08
Demonstrations are optional learning aids and the standards are the floor under the method. Neither is evidence about your room: Room Lab does not treat a video as proof, and a link never replaces a measured test.
Watch
Check the walking routes in your room
Practise this and continue
Step 2 of 9 · foundation
Try it in a real room. Walk the route you take most often, from doorway to where you sit. Note every point you turn sideways, step over something, or slow down.