Legendary Architect Frank Lloyd Wright explored the philosophy of compression and release in many of his designs. This theory deals with how we psychologically handle the feeling of enclosure. When you enter a building or stand under a low ceiling you often feel trapped. When you move into an open space with the sky above you will feel a tremendous weight has been lifted. Walking out onto your deck can perform a similar function.

Most often rails provide the only sense of enclosure on a deck. If your deck contains an overhead element like a pergola or is situated under another deck you may be able to juxtapose these spaces with a more open area to express spatial compression and release. In essence we are moving from an environment of the human scale to the atmospheric scale. Overhead elements can provide us privacy and offer us protection from the sun and rain but inhibit our spatial connection with what lies beyond. You can use a balance of open and closed spaces to offer a variety of experiences on your deck. The process of moving in and out of these spaces can produce an interesting and dynamic effect.