Architectural History

The influence of ritual, technology and cultural development on building culture are important. The impact of lifestyle, location, available resources and social hierarchy can be seen in the configuration of cities and buildings. Vernacular architecture means an architecture that is concerned with the domestic and functional, thus differing from monumental buildings.

For this critical essay compare the vernacular architecture (housing) excavated in the Neolithic settlement Catal Hüyük (Anatolia, 7500–5700 BCE) to the vernacular dwellings found in Mohenjo-daro (2500 BCE, Pakistan). Examine how they relate to the following topics and identify parallels and differences; Structure essay according to the three topics below:

1. Impact of site, region, geography and climate: Which materials are available, what kind of topography or weather patterns and climate, temperatures are the houses reacting to.?
2. Settlement patterns: How do the individual houses form an urban context? What kind of infrastructure and which circulation patterns and overall organization can be identified?
3. Lifestyle/culture: How do the houses reflect people’s living conditions, rituals and social structures? What is the inhabitants’ social/hierarchical organization?

Discuss configurations or conditions the houses share and identify conditions that are specific to the region and its local geographic conditions, technologies available or the social structure present. Document and discuss in writing (1500-2000 words), include a bibliography and a list of image sources if they are not your own sketches. Use Chicago Style as a citation format.