A corridor is a form of hallway or gallery which is typically narrow in comparison to its lenght and acts as a passage connecting different parts of a building. A corridor often has entry points to rooms along it.
Despite being a normal feature of many modern buildings, corridors did not become common until the late-17th century, and were only first used widely in the 19th century. Prior to the use of corridors as a means of circulation, people would simply flow from one room into the next.
It has been theorised that the proliferation of corridors was driven to a certain extent by socio-economic factors and evolving moral attitudes. Corridors were a means of separating the occupants of a building, such as servants from those they served, inmates from the prison guards, workers from supervisors, and so on. They created privacy, in that it was no longer necessary to go through rooms, it was only necessary to go in to them.
Corridors also helped increase the efficiency with which people could move through buildings, while also turning rooms into a series of dead ends by separating circulation from destination.
The design of corridors is largely determined by the functions of the building. Hospital corridors will need to be wide enough to allow bi-directional flow of traffic, including beds and wheelchairs. Hotel corridors need to be robust enough for suitcase wheels, trolleys, and so on. Corridors may need access to natural light from windows, or be lit well artificially so as to avoid dark corners and allow easy circulation.
However, they can sometimes be soulless 'between' spaces, with no particular character or function, anonymous decoration, poor-quality artificial light and the feel of a prison offering nothing but a series of locked cell doors.
The world’s longest corridor is in RAF Mount Pleasant on the Falkland Islands. Nicknamed the ‘Death Star Corridor’, it is half a mile (800 m) long, and links the barracks, messes, and recreational/welfare areas of the station.
There are a number of statutory requirements for the design of corridors. Part M of the building regulations sets standards for circulation spaces so as to make them accessible, this includes required widths to allow circulation by people in wheelchairs. Part B of the building regulations sets standards for fire safety; corridors may form part of escape routes, with required minimum widths, and may be protected corridors, that is, corridors which are protected from fire in adjoining accommodation by fire-resisting construction.
For more information see: Approved document M and Approved document B.
The word corridor might also be used to refer to:
FAQs
a. : a passageway (as in a hotel or office building) into which compartments or rooms open. b. : a place or position in which especially political power is wielded through discussion and deal-making.
What is an example of a corridor? ›
A long hallway, especially one that has rooms opening up into it, is called a corridor. Late at night, hotel corridors all look alike. Be sure you try to open the right door with your key card. A corridor is also a tract of land that connects two places or runs along the side of a road.
Is a corridor a hallway? ›
The main difference between a corridor and a hallway is that a corridor refers to a connecting passageway between rooms in a public venue such as an office, apartment building, or hotel, while a hallway refers to a passageway between rooms in a private residence such as a house or single apartment unit.
What is a corridor area? ›
a gallery or passage connecting parts of a building; hallway. a passage into which several rooms or apartments open.
What are corridors in a building? ›
A corridor is a form of hallway or gallery which is typically narrow in comparison to its lenght and acts as a passage connecting different parts of a building. A corridor often has entry points to rooms along it.
What do Americans call a corridor? ›
corridor in American English
1. a long passageway or hall, esp. one onto which several rooms open.
What is meant by corridor? ›
: a passageway (as in a school) into which compartments or rooms open. 2. : a narrow strip of land especially through territory held by an enemy. Etymology. from early French corridor "passageway," from early Italian corridore (same meaning), from correre "to run," from Latin currere "to run" — related to course, ...
What is a corridor vs aisle vs hallway? ›
A hallway is a long, narrow room. A corridor is a defined space, not necessarily physically enclosed. It is long and narrow. An aisle is a long narrow space defined by structures or furniture on both sides of it.
What is the difference between a passageway and a corridor? ›
Assuming you are using these terms in an architectural context, they both refer to long, narrow passageways. A corridor is an internal passageway within a building.
What is a corridor in a house called? ›
A hallway can fit the description of a corridor; when it is to describe a passage in a house with rooms on both sides of it. The word hallway can also be used to describe the entrance hall of a house.
Borrowed from French corridor, from Italian corridore (“long passage”) (= corridoio), from correre (“to run”).
What is a typical residential corridor? ›
American standards call for a minimum 36-in. -wide hallway in most circ*mstances. More generous halls can accommodate furniture and require larger scaled details. A 48-in.
What is a passage between two rooms called? ›
A hallway (also passage, passageway, corridor or hall) is an interior space in a building that is used to connect other rooms.
What are examples of corridor? ›
Corridors are passageways that connect one area to another. They may be seen in buildings connecting rooms together and thusly referred to as a hallway. In cities, corridors and alleys may connect streets together with narrow passageways between groups of buildings.
What is an outdoor hallway called? ›
A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure.
What is a word for corridor? ›
aisle foyer hall lobby passage passageway.
What are the different types of corridors? ›
Types of corridor
- line corridors - eg paths, roads, hedgerows, drainage ditches ie. ...
- strip corridors - wider bands than line corridors with a central interior habitat so they contain interior species.
- stream corridors - broader water courses, width varies with width of the stream (Forman and Godron, 1986)
Common Corridor means that part of the Rail Infrastructure that was utilised by the existing Access Holder for the Train Services for which Access Rights are being relinquished and will also be utilised by the new Access Holder's or Transferee's Train Services; Sample 1.
What is an example of a corridor in science? ›
For example, a small corridor might be an area along a creek that has been revegetated by a local community group to link two patches of forest. Native animals could then move more freely between these forests to find food, shelter and opportunities to breed.
How would you describe a corridor? ›
A corridor is a long passage in a building, with doors and rooms on one or both sides.
