Domus, Villa and Insula: A Neo-Rationalist Taxonomy of Housing Types along the Via Consolare-Pompeii

In the early letters of Cicero, the guide on agriculture by Varro, and the complete works of Vitruvius, there is a foundation laid for the governance of domestic architecture which can only be glimpsed through the moment frozen in time at Pompeii. This thesis is directed at a critical analysis of the residential architecture situated along the Via Consolare in Pompeii. The question posed at the onset was how do dwellings change and adapt based on the localized context. The context in this case can be as simple as neighbor to neighbor spatial relationships and as complex as urban to suburban or exurban based on proximity to the city wall. By analyzing the plans of dwellings in context it is possible to find patterns of spatial occupation which submit to logical methods of construction and an ideal typological form. Through the lenses of typology, geometry and space syntax, this thesis attempts to broaden the classification of plans for irregular dwellings as well as to show how they belong to the transitionary gradient of housing development which occurred during the lifespan of Pompeii. Each portion of the work looks at the known history and development of the type being analyzed and then breaks down portions of the dwellings into a series of simple and interchangeable elements. The typological study looks at the atrium and it\u27s network of support spaces to identify which rooms and how many direct spatial connections define each pattern. The geometric survey is aimed at identifying an applicable surveying technique which may have governed dwelling construction. In the least, it denotes a proprietary explanation for the development of cavaedium styles and simple geometries in the house such as the ratio for width to depth. The final lens of Space syntax was employed to assess patterns of in the quantity of rooms as compared to overall dwelling size. With each layer of analysis a better picture of housing development emerges allowing for a deeper understanding of the ideal Pompeian dwelling when faced with the strictures of site and constructio