Architecture house explained
Architecture house, as a phrase, names the application of the discipline of architecture to the design of the house, and it is the residential branch of the practice, the work of designing the building a family lives in. The term is used in two senses, the house as the object of the discipline, the building that architecture designs, and the house as a style, the architectural style of a particular house, and the page that follows gives the definition first, the history of the idea, and the key terms behind residential architecture. This is the hub for the residential section of this site, and it sets the terms that the deeper pages under it use, from the design of the house to the cost of the architecture.
What architecture house means as a term
Architecture house means, first, the house as the object of the discipline, and it is the most common sense of the phrase. The house is the building that architecture designs for the family, and the design of the house is the design of the layout, the structure and the skin of a building that is lived in, and it is the work that the discipline does for the largest number of its clients. A house is the smallest complete building, the one that a single family lives in, and it is the building that every person meets in the discipline, because every person lives in a house or has lived in one. The design of the house is the design of the spaces a family uses, the rooms for sleeping, eating, washing and gathering, and it is the work that the discipline is most often hired to do. The term also names the style of a house, the architectural style it is built in, and that sense is the one the page on the style of a house carries, the work of naming the style the house is built in.
The history of the house as an object of architecture
The house as an object of architecture has a long history, and it is the history of the discipline applied to the building a family lives in. The house was the object of the discipline from its start, the first building a family lived in, and the design of the house was the first work of architecture. The history of the house is the history of the materials, from the earth and the timber of the early house to the concrete and the steel of the modern one, and it is the history of the layout, from the single room of the early house to the divided rooms of the modern one. The 20th century gave the house a new form, the modern house, with its flat roof, its glass wall and its open plan, and the work of the architects of that era defined the house as a design object, the building that the discipline made new. The house is the object that the discipline has made new again and again, and it is the building that the public knows the discipline by, because it is the building the public lives in.
The key terms behind residential architecture
The key terms behind residential architecture are the terms that the design of a house is built from, and the table gives the term, what it means, and where it sits in the design.
| Term | What it means | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| The layout | The order of the rooms, the plan | The first decision of the design |
| The style | The architectural style of the house | The form and the skin |
| The structure | How the house carries its weight | The frame under the skin |
| The envelope | The wall, the roof, the window | The skin that keeps the weather out |
| The cost | What the house costs to build | The constraint on the design |
The 5 terms are the terms that the design of a house is built from, and they are the terms that the deeper pages of this section use. The layout is the first decision, the order of the rooms, and it is the decision the design starts from. The style is the form and the skin, the architectural style the house is built in. The structure is the frame under the skin, and the envelope is the skin itself, the wall and the roof and the window. The cost is the constraint on the design, the budget that decides what can be built. A house is designed from these 5 terms, and the design is good when the 5 are in balance, the layout that serves the family, the style that suits the site, the structure that carries the house, the envelope that keeps the weather out, and the cost that the family can afford.
How the design of the house differs from the design of a larger building
The design of the house differs from the design of a larger building in 3 ways that matter to the terms. The first is the scale, the house is a small building, a single family's building, and the design is the design of a few rooms rather than of many, and the decisions are the decisions of a family rather than of an institution. The second is the client, the client of the house is the family that will live in it, and the design is the design for a client who will live in the building for decades, which is a different design from the design for a client who will use it for a season. The third is the budget, the budget of the house is the budget of a family, and the design is the design to a constraint that is fixed and personal, and the discipline's skill in the house is the skill of designing to that constraint, the layout, the style, the structure and the envelope that the family can afford. The house is the building that the discipline designs for the most people, and it is the building where the terms of the discipline are met by the person who will live in them.
Where to start
1. ARCHITECTURE HOUSE DESIGNHow house design worksArchitecture house design is the application of the discipline of architecture to the house.2. COST OF ARCHITECTUREHow much architecture costsThe cost of architecture is the fee the discipline charges for the design of the building.
3. WHAT ARCHITECTURE STYLE ISWhat style is your homeThe architectural style of your home is the set of design features the house shares with the movement it was built in.