Zen View
. . . how should we make the most of a view? It turns out that the pattern which answers this question helps to govern not the rooms and windows in a building, but the places of transition. It helps to place and detail Entrance Transition, Entrance Room, Short Passages, Staircase as a Stage—and outside, Paths and Goals.
Problem:
The archetypal zen view occurs in a famous Japanese house, which gives this pattern its name.
Background & Research: Not Included on the site—Go read the book!
Solution:
If there is a beautiful view, don’t spoil it by building huge windows that gape incessantly at it. Instead, put the windows which look onto the view at places of transition—along paths, in hallways, in entry ways, on stairs, between rooms. If the view window is correctly placed, people will see a glimpse of the distant view as they come up to the window or pass it: but the view is never visible from the places where people stay.
Usage:
Put in the windows to complete the indirectness of the view—Natural Doors and Windows; place them to help the Tapestry of Light and Dark and build a seat from which a person can enjoy the view—Window Place. If the view must be visible from inside a room, make a special comer of the room which looks onto the view, so that the enjoyment of the view becomes a definite act in its own right . . .
pg. 641