Housing Typology

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

Men were born with wants and needs. These necessities range from the basic ones like food, clothing and shelter, to the intricate or personal ones like freedom and happiness. Due to man’s irrevocable quest in finding ways to meet these necessities, their way of living has tremendously upgraded. Different forms of high technology which enhanced food and beverages preparation, gadgets, and even architecture have emerged in order to achieve one’s specific or personal taste.

Architecture always represents the time in which man lives. It is undeniable that culture and society, not to mention building practice, has changed dramatically over the course of man’s history.  Culture continues to move forward as it did for the architects of Greek, Roman, Renaissance, Gothic, and other building periods. They all knew this and celebrated their epoch in architecture which, while distinct, often stands side by side with the best of previous ages. This mix of buildings all work together in a beautiful and profound texture making up cities, and provides a powerful backdrop for men’s lives. For these reasons, man has continually designed and built structures of different types, uses, and characters such as residential, commercial, industrial, religious, educational, etc.

In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the term building refers to any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy. Buildings come in a wide amount of shapes and functions, and have been adapted throughout history for a wide number of factors, from building materials available, to weather conditions, to land prices, ground conditions, specific uses and aesthetic reasons.

Buildings serve several needs of society – primarily as shelter from weather and as general living space, to provide privacy, to store belongings and to comfortably live and work. A building as a shelter...