Example of housing architecture
Example of housing architecture

Housing Architecture

Housing architecture is the field of architecture whose purpose is the study and construction of spaces - houses - in which people can live. Here you will find new stories and projects from all over the world that address these issues in many different ways: home renovations that observe long-standing traditions, housing projects that challenge existing paradigms, vernacular architecture, modularity, eco and minimal. All this is housing architecture.

Residential architecture is one of the most important fields of architecture, which aims to create buildings for people to live in. These are projects that use a variety of disciplines, such as building geometry, structures, natural and artificial lighting, outdoor landscaping and accessibility. An architect must consider all these factors to create a comfortable and safe place for people to live.

The fundamental elements for residential architectural design are:

  • Choosing the right site: variables such as potable water and drainage, access to main roads must be taken into consideration. The architect should also take into account the environmental regulations in force in the country concerned.
  • Size of the structure: the size of the building will also depend on the individual preferences of the users: they can be luxury buildings with large internal spaces or very small individual homes to be furnished with space-saving solutions
  • Available budget: factor to be considered in establishing the most innovative construction materials and technologies to be used in the building.

In stylistic terms, the architectural styles most commonly applied to residential architecture include the American or European colonial style, the Italian or German modernist style; but lately contemporary and ecologically aware styles such as sustainable or bioclimatic styles are spreading more and more. Naturally, there is no shortage of hybrid styles that mix the different styles together to create solutions that are increasingly suited to the expectations of end users.

 

Façade arrangement according to orientation. The KR Apartments opens up toward the Black Sea
Façade arrangement according to orientation. The KR Apartments opens up toward the Black Sea

In the historic center of the city of Varna, Bulgaria, the KR Apartments building embodies the concept of creating contemporary and functional housing with an elegant and simple design that discreetly fits the environment

The rich Californian history of courtyard buildings evoked and reinterpreted by Magnolia Hill
The rich Californian history of courtyard buildings evoked and reinterpreted by Magnolia Hill

The courtyard is a key design aspect of the Magnolia Hill residential complex: a housing typology frequently used in the first half of the twentieth century, capable of creating closeness, security and privacy, and which is revisited by Brooks + Scarpa

Srebarna 18, a building emphasizing tidiness and the minimalist approach
Srebarna 18, a building emphasizing tidiness and the minimalist approach

Between Loven Park and the Vitosha metro station in the city of Sofia, Srebarna 18 takes shape, a residential complex with a minimalist design, orthogonal geometry contrasting with dynamic volume

Casa Yaxché and the preserved tree in order to be fully embraced by the housing project
Casa Yaxché and the preserved tree in order to be fully embraced by the housing project

The design of the house revolves entirely around the Yaxché tree: the hypothesis of cutting it down is set aside, leaving room for the opportunity to preserve it and place it on the main visual, spatial, and conceptual axis of the dwelling

Mars, a project inspired by the Red Planet's evocative landscape
Mars, a project inspired by the Red Planet's evocative landscape

Mars, a real journey into fantasy and imagination: located in the middle of a new, almost sterile urban development in the city of Hwaseong, near the city of Seoul, which creates the illusion of living on Mars

Building the contemporary by walking in the footsteps of the ancestors.
Building the contemporary by walking in the footsteps of the ancestors. "Aperture," a main chalet-home in Chamonix

"Aperture" in English (which in photography defines the lens aperture through which light passes in order to enter the camera and that like a pupil, opens and closes out to adjust the amount of light) is the name of this chalet, built by a grandfather and renovated today with emotion by his grandson

Dimion Tower in Buenos Aires for an unprecedented living in an architecture with a strong material impact
Dimion Tower in Buenos Aires for an unprecedented living in an architecture with a strong material impact

The Dimion Tower was designed trying to incorporate a building massing that dialogues effectively with the environment and responds to regulations in a positive and purposeful way. Similarly, a morphology was designed to produce a novel experience in the way of inhabiting the city and with a materiality that responds to all these premises, in a concrete, explicit and expressive way

Villa inspired by the laws of the jungle. A balance between nature and luxury accommodation
Villa inspired by the laws of the jungle. A balance between nature and luxury accommodation

The concrete villa designed by Formafatal studio and part of a complex of three villas called "Art Villas", is located not far from the Costa Rican town of Uvita and offers the possibility of experiencing luxury and adventure at the same time.

Mitosis XL brings biophilic regenerative architecture to large-scale urban developments. A solution that
Mitosis XL brings biophilic regenerative architecture to large-scale urban developments. A solution that "gives back" to the Planet

Mitosis XL is the result of a new parametric design tool to generate positive footprint neighborhoods built of cross-laminated timber.
"We aim to generate a healthy, emotional and constructive habitat for rest, work and all-around living with nature." (Giacomo Garziano, founder of GG-loop)

A fabric of perforated bricks surrounds the Step Level House
A fabric of perforated bricks surrounds the Step Level House

A home made of different levels: large steps from the street reach the level of the garden, creating terraces from which to enjoy the view of the trees at the back

Amidst walnut trees a simple volume tunes in to the beauty of the surrounding nature
Amidst walnut trees a simple volume tunes in to the beauty of the surrounding nature

House in a Walnut Grove is a low-cost, durable home with a link to nature in very simple and proportionate forms

"What would Gwathmey do?" House in the Dunes, restoration and careful transformation of a piece of modern architectural history

It was originally the Haupt residence, designed in the 1970s by Charles Gwathmey, a member of the famous group of architects "The New York Five." Now fully restored and respectfully modified according to the needs of its new inhabitants, the House in the Dunes gains new life while remaining true to its creator

Situated on one of the highest hills in Zihuatanejo, Casa Z opens out into the landscape while soaring in the air
Situated on one of the highest hills in Zihuatanejo, Casa Z opens out into the landscape while soaring in the air

A trapezoid-shaped plot on a hill overlooking Mexico's Pacific Coast welcomes Casa Z and its minimalism, furnished with breathtaking panoramic views

Villa Borik, its dimensions in harmony with its surroundings and contrasting aesthetics
Villa Borik, its dimensions in harmony with its surroundings and contrasting aesthetics

Villa Borik corresponds in its volumes to the surroundings in which it is immersed, concealing a third of its distribution in an underground level. The house consists of three floors, each with a different spatial organization. The western "utility" facade that forms a filter between the street and the interior and a triangular half-bay roof that marks the entrance to the house on the north side complete the salient features of this architecture  

Brick residential complex
Urban regeneration on the outskirts of Manchester. Residential complex of apartments and single-family houses

In Hulme, Mecanoo architecten studio creates the "Hulme Living Leaf Street Housing", an urban regeneration project following the demolition of the "Hulm Crescentd", one of the largest social housing projects in the United Kingdom

Casa PF turns its gaze to its interior, protecting a timeless and unforced connected habitation
Casa PF turns its gaze to its interior, protecting a timeless and unforced connected habitation

Casa PF is designed to disconnect from its context: living, growing, inhabiting all turned inward; a coexistence between spaces that can be adapted according to the time and needs of the inhabitants. An introverted house, vitalized by the abundant palette of materials, both handcrafted and prefabricated, that make the user vibrate in search of the much-desired timelessness

A house set on top of a Hollywood hillside
A house set on top of a Hollywood hillside

Hollywood Hills House, a home among the oak trees of the Hollywood Hills, was born out of a desire for a luxurious design packed into a modest number of square meters

Villa AJ in Bassano del Grappa. Textural volumes protecting domestic greenery
Villa AJ in Bassano del Grappa. Textural volumes protecting domestic greenery

Villa AJ is a new private home on the outskirts of Bassano del Grappa, in the Veneto region of Italy, whose architecture consists of two structures that are orthogonal to each other in a "T" shape composition

A choreography of structures narrates the Stepping Stone House
A choreography of structures narrates the Stepping Stone House

A deceptively large house seeks to increase its users' awareness of the environment: a series of cantilevered volumes and circular windows frame the outdoor spaces like magnifying glasses for an engaging interaction with nature

AC House, a place to live in the city while respecting your needs
AC House, a place to live in the city while respecting your needs

The AC House project attempts to "communicate" what a house in the city should be like nowadays: a welcoming, familiar and full of life environment, in which the internal space is enlarged thanks to the constant relationship with the external space

Stepping Park House: the Vietnamese challenge of integrating greenery into architecture
Stepping Park House: the Vietnamese challenge of integrating greenery into architecture

Stepping Park House is one of the latest in a series of projects called "House for Trees", an initiative attempting to combat the shortage of green spaces in Vietnam by integrating greenery into small things and aiming to spread "green building" around the world

Take a journey of self exploration in the Inside Out House
Take a journey of self exploration in the Inside Out House

The Inside Out House encapsulates the dream of living far from the chaos of the city, embarking on a journey of self-exploration, in which the deepest thoughts wander and resonate until they feel at ease with them

Corazón de Tierra, a multi-family complex designed to meet the housing needs of Mérida
Corazón de Tierra, a multi-family complex designed to meet the housing needs of Mérida

The multi-family complex accommodates 54 families in the city of Mérida, in the Mexican state of Yucatán, and is based on the idea of fragmenting a large volume into four smaller parts in which the entire housing programme is developed

Villa Bakkum, a tripod with legs stretched out in the landscape
Villa Bakkum, a tripod with legs stretched out in the landscape

The villa in the wooded area of Bakkum resembles the shape of a tripod, whose legs immersed in the landscape each contain a different function: a living area, a dining area and a work area

It is all about efficiency and simplicity that does not give up on beauty: Casa en Cerros
It is all about efficiency and simplicity that does not give up on beauty: Casa en Cerros

A compact shape, capable of capturing sunlight and distributing interior spaces in the best possible way: this is what Casa en Cerros looks like, the dwelling located in the Spanish municipality of Villalbilla, in the province of Madrid

BAN Villa and the new rural community on the outskirts of Shanghai
BAN Villa and the new rural community on the outskirts of Shanghai

The government of Jijiadun, where BAN Villa is located, decides to redevelop the village, an hour and a half away from Shanghai, to counter the Chinese phenomenon of urbanization that sees rural areas becoming increasingly empty

The house which poses as a tree: House in the Orchard
The house which poses as a tree: House in the Orchard

Among six fruit trees, there is one in particular that stands out, House in the Orchard: a single-family house that with its small size and character seeks to integrate with its context

Winter House: a dance of different colors in the middle of unspoiled nature
Winter House: a dance of different colors in the middle of unspoiled nature

Textures, volumes, cracks, bays that narrow or extend the space according to need: this is the Winter House by LAAR, in Yucatan, whose block spans emphasize the structures that seem to dance side by side

Casa em Afife. Minimalist architecture designed to blend in with the natural slopes of the land
Casa em Afife. Minimalist architecture designed to blend in with the natural slopes of the land

Casa em Afife, a villa with a swimming pool designed on the basis of a square module. Clean lines and lots of white: these are the elements that characterise a building designed to fit perfectly into its natural surroundings

Confined spaces and open up platforms, the preservation of and exposure to the landscape. The exploration of a primitive and essential architecture
Confined spaces and open up platforms, the preservation of and exposure to the landscape. The exploration of a primitive and essential architecture

On the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, in Punta Pajaros, two new housing typologies are designed to complement an existing residential complex surrounded by the prestigious architecture of Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma, TAX, Alvaro Siza, Ambrosi Echegaray, and Aranza de Ariño