Problem
The area immediately outside the building, to the south—that angle between its walls and the earth where the sun falls—must be developed and made into a place which lets people bask in it.
Solution
Inside the south-facing court, or garden, or yard, find the spot between the building and the outdoors which gets the best sun. Develop this spot as a special sunny place—make it the important outdoor room, a place to work in the sun, or a place for a swing and some special plants, a place to sunbathe. Be very careful indeed to place the sunny place in a position where it is sheltered from the wind. A steady wind will prevent you from using the most beautiful place.
Related Patterns
… this pattern helps to embellish and give life to any South Facing Outdoors (105); and, in a situation where the outdoors is not to the south, but east or west, it can help to modify the building so that the effective part of the outdoors moves towards the south. It also helps to complete Building Edge (160), and to place Outdoor Room (163).
Make the place itself as much as possible like a room - Private Terrace on the Street (140), Outdoor Room (163); always at least six feet deep, no less - Six-Foot Balcony (167); perhaps with foliage or a canvas to filter the light on hot days - Filtered Light (238), Trellised Walk (174), Canvas Roofs (244). Put in seats according to Seat Spots (241) …
Alexander, Christopher. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 757.