History of Housing Architecture

       It was interesting to learn about architecture from so long ago, it amazes me how smart the designs were, by the time the city was destroyed they were starting to transitioning from single-story houses to taller buildings. I learned that the volcanic eruption helped preserve the city, which is very interesting. When I joined this course I thought it would be closer to the styles of housing we see today, I hope it starts to turn that way, if not I know this course does not cover every blog I’ll need so I can go ahead and start independent research as well.

  Pompeii is the oldest pre-roman city that has been constructed, so it is often studied when looking at housing and city architecture. The urban grid was created efficiently by using geometric patterns for the city layout. Main commercial streets were 7-8 meters wide and had sidewalks on both sides. Lava rock was used as steppingstones in the street since the streets were also the sewer system. Pompeii built their city based on repetition and patterns, this is even seen in the architecture of the houses. Houses in Pompeii were all built under the same spatial principle that consisted of four main rooms. The first room was called the Fauces; the Fauces is a small room facing the street with a window that serves as a store front. Families would sell their goods through these windows or rent out the room for others to sell out of. This room leads into the first courtyard called: The Atrium. The Atrium would now be considered a dining room, the family ate most their meals there. The...

Professors: Luca Ortelli, Catarina Wall Gago, Karen Zysman