The Architectural Properties of the Home

The architecture of the home can be regarded as the combined result of measurable practical and functional properties and non-measurable aesthetic properties. Since the unparalleled building boom of the 1960s, our image of residential architecture has been dominated by its functional and practical aspects, and the architectural design of the home has been widely neglected. Many architects today are therefore unaware of the importance of a holistic approach to residential architecture and of the significance that non-measurable aesthetic attributes have for the home and its residents.<p /> The purpose of this thesis is to identify, describe, and analyze the non-measurable architectural properties of the home, to demonstrate the role these properties play in the home, and to describe their influence on residents, perceptions of their homes. By conceptualizing these issues, the study also intends to contribute a greater clarity to the discussion of the architectural qualities of the home. In so doing it deepens and expands the implications of several well-known, widely-used concepts.<p /> This study is based on the following questions:<p /> <UL> <LI>What are the non-measurable properties of residential architecture? <LI>How do these non-measurable properties appear in the home? <LI>What spatial variables and relationships influence our perception of these properties? <LI>What is the underlying symbolic significance of non-measurable architectural properties for residents? </UL><p /> The analysis is based on case studies of four different apartments and on interviews with their architects and residents.<p /> The study results in the identification of seven property fields that are important to the architecture of the home: Materials and Detailing, Axiality, Enclosure, Movement, Spatial Form, Light, and Spatial Organisation.<p /> The study reveals the nature of the respective fields and shows how each appears in the home. The study concludes that these non-measurable architectural properties are essential to the overall quality of the home and particularly important in the enrichment of residents, perception of the home environment. These properties are also intimately connected with the process by which residents appropriate their homes and assign meaning to them