Construction And Environmental Performance Of A Typical...

The Similarities and Differences Between the Design, Construction and Environmental Performance of a Typical Mesopotamian ‘Courtyard’ House and a Roman ‘Peristyle’ House. To consider the similarities and differences of the aforementioned aspects of the house types, it necessitates first to define the terms under which the comparisons are made. Considering the era in question, 10000BC until 550AD, it seems incomprehensible, whilst appreciating similarities due to influence of climate, geographical location and peoples of the area, not to expect differences in the design. Here I use the definition of design as an image created to communicate the appearance and function of a building, due to the advancement of civilization in that time, and the increase in material want. Likewise, advances in skill and technology (even at a very basic pre BC level, was huge, influencing the construction; Construction I would define as - the action of building something, for example a building or large structure. Lastly over time, the ancient civilizations would have become increasingly aware of the potential and viability of adapting their buildings to reap the benefits of environmental factors whilst at the same time and over time, incorporating environmental performance; that is how the building reacts to its geographical location and clima te. Placing both houses in a historical context, the Mesopotamian ‘courtyard’ house dates more specifically to the time 10000BC to 600BC, whilst the