Building Typology

For a university assignment back in 2008, I had to explore different building typologies and the merits and disadvantages of each. I stated that it is important to establish the performance of different typologies when considering the development of an area where the inclusion of housing is concerned”. This is because different typologies have different characteristics. I assessed these characteristics against some basic criteria:

Private Realm: room size and shape, natural light and ventilation, orientation, noise, outdoor space, public/private front and storage space.

Communal Realm: mix of bedroom numbers within a building, number of dwellings, resident profile, safety.

Public Realm: walking distance to things, public open space, surrounding buildings.

An interesting example of row housing I found is located in Hatfield, London:

‘The Ryde’ is a fairly upper-class residential development in London. There are a total of 28 house units all on one level. It is an attractive neighbourhood, hence the development of aesthetically pleasing modern look buildings. They are 1 -4 bedroom houses thus providing for resident diversity.

The depth of the row houses means there are no windows either side. To provide natural light and ventilation however there is a patio centrally located in the larger houses. The inner court also provides a completely private outdoor space, along with the semi private front and back yards. Numerous skylights in the larger houses also provide light to the deep building layout.

There are several communal park/garden spaces and play areas such as tennis courts within the complex. These communal facilities would enhance rather than hinder residents getting to know each other. An unfortunate disadvantage is that directly to the west of the complex is a railroad running parallel nearby the length of the complex. This makes an otherwise short journey to several facilities more difficult as pedestrian movement is limited.

Housing typologies have great influence over the 'feel' and demographic of a neighbourhood, so should be shown great consideration when being considered.