An Examination of the concept of place in urban house design

Abstract

The concept of place is a dwindling phenomenon in the modern urban society. Time and cost playing a great part in contributing to the loss of place in the urban context. The decline of social values seems extremely rapid. This can be a result of the decline of family values. The main cause for this situation may be the loss of mans most primary and essential place – the home. This is mainly seen in urban situations. Thus, the designing of the contemporary urban house has become an extremely important consideration.// As" result of this observation, this study strives to obtain an understanding of the concept of place, so that it can be used as a guide to the designing of the contemporary urban house. The Contemporary urban house has come a long way from the early house form. Today, the needsand desires of the user is vast. Thus, there is a need for greater number and variety of spaces within the house. As a result, these spaces should be given more emphasis in terms of Design, so that they enable places. The main purpose of this study is to emphasize the need for the urban house to be perceived as a collection of spaces. These spaces which enable 'places' ,taken collectively will form the single entity the home.// The study of the urban house in relation to the concept of place is extremely important due to its major impact on the family unit and in turn the society.