LiMa – Spatial accessibility and intimacy – Herman Hertzberger

The staggered sequence of information through architectural means creates a gradual entry and exit. … Through the choice of suitable architectural means, the private area can thus appear less fortress-like and become more accessible, while the public area, which is more concerned with the transfer of responsibility to the individual and the personal care of interested parties, is in turn more intensively utilized and thus enriched.

Whereas in the late 1960s there was a trend towards greater openness in society in general and buildings in particular, as well as towards the street as a public space par excellence, there is now a growing desire to restrict accessibility and take refuge in one’s own “castle” for fear of aggression and the desire to feel safe within one’s own walls.But insofar as the balance between the open and the closed is a reflection of our more open society, the Netherlands, for example, with its firmly rooted tradition, probably has the most favorable conditions imaginable for the construction of fundamentally open buildings and more hospitable streets.

quoted and taken from: Herman Hertzberger; Vom Bauen. Lectures on architecture. Aries Publishing House, 1995, p. 84