A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity, sometimes transferred to the Church for reuse as a monastery. Then they gradually re-evolved through the Middle Ages into elegant upper-class country homes. In the Early Modern period, any comfortable detached house with a garden near a city or town was likely to be described as a villa; most survivals have now been engulfed by suburbia. In modern parlance, "villa" can refer to various types and sizes of residences, ranging from the suburban semi-detached double villa to, in some countries, especially around the Mediterranean, residences of above average size in the countryside.
Roman villa
Roman villas included:
the villa urbana, a suburban or country seat that could easily be reached from Rome or another city for a night or two
the villa rustica, the farm-house estate that was permanently occupied by the servants who had charge generally of the estate, which would centre on the villa itself, perhaps only seasonally occupied. The Roman villae rusticae at the heart of latifundia were the earliest versions of what later and elsewhere became called manors and plantations.
the otium villa, for rural retirement or pleasure
In terms of design, there was often little difference in the main residence between these types at any particular level of size, but the presence or absence of farm outbuildings reflected the size and function of the estate.
Not included as villae were the domus, city houses for the élite and privileged classes, and the insulae, blocks of apartment buildings for the rest of the population. In Satyricon (1st century CE), Petronius described the wide range of Roman dwellings. Another type of villae is the "villa maritima", a seaside villa, located on the coast.
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Together, we will continue our exploration of the theme of water by building a set of fountains that we will later attempt to integrate into a domestic project for the port of Basel. The focus will be
Together, we will continue our exploration of the theme of water by building a set of fountains that we will later attempt to integrate into a domestic project for the port of Basel. The focus will be
The course is part of a three-year trajectory dedicated to a comprehensive history of domestic space and its relationship with urban form from its prehistoric origins to Neoliberal times.
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word mansio "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb manere "to dwell". The English word manse originally defined a property large enough for the parish priest to maintain himself, but a mansion is no longer self-sustaining in this way (compare a Roman or medieval villa). Manor comes from the same root—territorial holdings granted to a lord who would "remain" there.
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and the principles of formal classical architecture from ancient Greek and Roman traditions. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Palladio's interpretation of this classical architecture developed into the style known as Palladianism.
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals with manorial tenants and great banquets. The term is today loosely applied to various English country houses, mostly at the smaller end of the spectrum, sometimes dating from the Late Middle Ages, which currently or formerly house the landed gentry.
The title of the current contribution is “In quest of meaning: revisiting the discourse around ‘non-pedigreed’ architecture”. As a brief introduction, I would like to project the following two images. One is Villa Arpel, while the other is the district of ...
2023
Explores the origins of modern domestic space through the lens of the Renaissance villa and the communal living aspects of longhouses in different cultures.
Explores the emergence of the villa and the gentrification of the Roman countryside, highlighting the impact of the Republic and the Empire on Roman society.
Explores the historical development of domestic spaces in ancient Rome, focusing on colonization, villa architecture, and monasticism.
En 1906, le joaillier Louis Fallet fait appel à la classe de l’École d’Art Appliqué de Charles L’Éplattenier, pour construire sa villa sur les hauteurs de La Chaux-de-Fonds. Le jeune Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, alors étudiant-émailleur, se voit confier la m ...
2023
The country house that Adolf Loos designed for Paul Khuner in Payerbach represents one of his most brilliant achievements, complementary to the more famous Villa Müller in Prague. These two buildings, both completed in 1930, constitute a sort of legacy sum ...