Check out this fascinating review of the book Parliament. (The review is by Margaret Rhodes; the book, by David Mulder van der Vegt and Max Cohen de Lara.) In summary, Mssrs. Mulder van der Vegt and Cohen de Lara studied the spatial layouts of the national legislatures of all 193 member states of the United Nations, and based on their researches, they conclude that all 193 legislative halls fall into one of five layouts (four of which are pictured below): “semicircle,” “horseshoe,” “opposing benches,” “circle,” and “classroom.” What type of layout does your country’s legislature or parliament fall into?
