Residential Architecture 

Hannah Roberts

Elevation Plan

There was a second level, especially for rooms that didn’t have a lot of activity. Any of the ancient greek homes are still seen in today’s architecture and floor plans. Many of the that went on back then we are still using today. Most homes today don’t have the courtyards which were replaced by hallways and large entry doors.

A traditional 2-story home is still very popular today because you’re able to get a lot of space and a lot of rooms and function with a smaller amount on smaller lots because cities today have become very crowded that building a 2-story home can be cost effective. As population have increased over the years,  land has become more scarce and valuable so to make good use out of less space the 2-story traditional elevation plan still remains popular today. 

Floor Plan 

Ancient Greek homes had rooms for specific reasons. A gathering spot keeping in mind that men like to talk to men and women like to talk to women. The greeks wanted to make sure that conversations did not overlap. Drinking space for men, separate gathering space for women. Education was important to them so they had a study room which was small study area where the teacher would teach the children and to concentrate on the kids. They keep the bedrooms upstairs. The rooms are designed for a lot of activity, taking care of kids and animals. It’s designed to keep things separated and several rooms for purpose. It was very common for them to add a second floor.

A big open space in the middle where you’d typically put a door, you have this big open space without a door and you are in the house and that is considered your courtyard and it’s a hallway that’s open and from the courtyard you could go into different rooms of the house like the bathroom, study area, the house is one big building and the courtyard made house feel open and let in natural light. It helped with temperature control. During the cold season it would keep heat in.

Reference: 

“Introduction to Greek Architecture.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/beginners-guide-greece/a/introduction-to-greek-architecture.

Ancient Greece - Daily Life - Typical House - The British Museum, www.ancientgreece.co.uk/dailylife/challenge/cha_set.html.