8th lectureHousing Typology

The following sheets describe a range of:physical housing types Housing characteristicsHousing design considerations

The main reference: A PDF paper prepared for the Northwest Corridor Development Approach, USA, June 2005, by: The Metropolitan Design Center | College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture | University of Minnesota

HOUSING TYPES• There are so many different names used to describe buildings where people

live.• Housing types according to their physical composition are basically

categorized under two main divisions:(A) Free-standing or detached dwellings

(B) Attached or multi-user dwellings

• Both classes may vary greatly in scale and amount of accommodation provided.

• Although there appear to be many different types, many are purely matters of style rather than spatial arrangement or scale.

Single detached

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Multi-family residential is a classification of housing where multiple separate housing units are contained within one building. The most common form is an apartment building.

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES

In this paper we will study 3 main types of multi-dwelling accommodations:1. Small detached buildings containing from 2-8 unites in 1 to 4 floor

buildings.2. Long attached row buildings containing several units in 1 to 4

floors.3. Large detached building containing huge amounts of unites on

many floors.

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B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES

What are the alternative arrangements (typology) of residential accommodations in a multi- use building?

1. A building comprising two units either side-by-side is typically considered as semi-detached or twin homes on separate properties, sharing a wall.

2. By contrast, a duplex house is a dwelling comprising two units on two different floors.

3. Duplex house are two single dwelling units separated over two floors, connected by an indoor staircase.

4. Similarly, a triplex house refers to three apartments spread out over three floors.

5. The term "duplex" can also be extended to four-plex or quadr-plex.

6. Because of the flexibility of the term, the is almost no line between an apartment building and a duplex.

7. Apartment buildings tending to be bigger, while duplexes are usually the size of a normal house.

Two-unite or Duplex house: A building basically like a house, built on a house lot, consisting of an apartment taking up the first floor, and another taking up the second floor.usually a common basement, a common front entrance, foyer, and stairs to the second floor, and often a similar back entrance, foyer, and stairs.

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES

Twin house or semi-detached:One building consisting of two separate "houses", typically side by side, each with separate entrances and without common inside areas. Each of the two houses has separate owners.

Three-unite or Triplex:

A building similar to the duplex, except there are three appartments over each other.

Four-unite or four-plex:

A building similar to the duplex, except there are four appartments. In some cases, the arrangement of apartments may be different and the lot size may be larger than that of a regular house.

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B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES 1

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES 1

• Originally associated with the working class.

• In many cities terraced housing was favored over the apartment building.

Row house in the states

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES

1- Terraced house or Row house or Townhouses, are houses attached to any number of other houses.

• Each house may have multiple floors, side by side, each with their own separate entrances.

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Row house in the UK

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES

Early example of Row house in Paris

• A style of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the late 17th century where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls.

• The Place des Vosges (1605 – 1612) was one of the earliest examples of the style.

1- Terraced house or row house or townhouses

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• The shop houses would adjoin each other to form rows with regular façade.

• This mixed use building form characterizes the historical centre of most towns and cities.

• It is vernacular style building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia.

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES

2- Shop-house (mixed use building form):

• It consists of shops on the ground floor which open up to a public in a covered passage, and which has residential accommodation upstairs.

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2- Shop-house:

• Shop houses were initially occupied by single families, with their private living areas in an upper space and the public family business downstairs.

• Residential spaces are meant to accommodate one or more families, or serve as a dormitory for single workers.

• The covered walkway along the road is for public use, providing pedestrians shade from sun and rain.

• Unites can be arranged over the shops or to the back, with separate back or side entrances.

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES 2

3- Apartment building:

• A building with multiple floors containing multiple apartments on each floor.

• Apartment building can range in many sizes, some with only a few apartments, other with hundreds of apartments on many floors, or any size in between.

• There are often inside hallways and inside entrances to each apartment.

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES3

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES3

• Apartment blocks have technical and economic advantages in areas with high population density.

• They have become a well-known form of housing accommodation in almost all densely populated urban areas around the world.

• In contrast with low-rise and single-family houses, apartment blocks accommodate more inhabitants per unit of area of land, and also decrease the cost of public infrastructure.

• In recent years, they have become popular with their excellent views, desirable locations and architectural styles, and now command high prices.

3- Apartment building (high Rise):

A Tower block, Apartment tower, or Apartment block

These high-rise apartment buildings and tower blocks were built in Yemen in the 16th century. They remain the tallest mud brick buildings in the world.

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES3

3- Apartment building (high Rise):

A Tower block, Apartment tower, or Apartment block

In Roman Egypt seven-storey buildings existed as early as the 3rd century AD in local towns such as Hermopolis.

The medieval Egyptian city of Fustat housed many high-rise residential buildings, some seven stories tall that could accommodate hundreds of people.

• A Penthouses apartments are typically differentiated from other apartments byluxury features.

• penthouse apartment may have additional exclusive features not found in the majority of apartments in the building, such as: a private entrance or elevator, or higher/vaulted ceilings, having two or more levels, a swimming pool.

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES 1

1- Single Housing types:

• A penthouse apartment or penthouse apartment is an apartment which is a single dwelling that is on the highest floor of an apartment building.

• If more than one apartment is on the floor then it is not a penthouse, it would just be called a top floor flat or apartment.

• These structures do not occupy the entire roof deck.

3- Mixed use building:

• A building with space for both commercial, business, or office use, and space for residential use.

• Possible arrangements include the commercial/business use on the first or first couple floors and one or more apartments or residential spaces on the upper floors.

• Another possibility is to have the commercial/business area up front and the residential area in the back.

• An active pedestrian environment.

B) attached or multi-user dwellings

HOUSING TYPES3