A housing Typology Atelier04/studio04 Hand-out term 2 Extract from: Courtyard houses Günter Pfeifer and Per Brauneck editor Birkhäuser Publisher Typology [Typology is an] approach that isolates the attributes of the architectural coher- ence, identifies them as characteristics, in order to then compare them with similarly abstracted attributes from other contexts and to define similarities or differences. Since Quatremère de Quincy at the latest, the history of architecture has described this kind of approach by the term typology, and understands it as the abstraction of formal attributes into a principle, called type, that describes the commonalities of a series of different, but historically concrete models. From the beginning, this systematic and abstracted view includes the possibilities of a guideline for action beyond literal imitation (“imitation par principe “) as well as a tool for comparative architectural Sorting perceptions according to certain recurring characteristics and principles is an important element of cognitive process. To derive standards from it and to sys- tematise certain patterns are two principles that not only form the basis of every science but also of the human capability to perceive and communicate. To reduce perceptions to certain recurring patterns, regular geometries or har- monies is a universal principle; therefore, the term typology has a long history in architecture and architectural theory. In this light, typologies in architecture docu- ment the changing requirement profiles of certain buildings or spatial systems. There are different typological categories. Typologies on an urban planning level deal with blocks, row or detached houses; building typologies examine residential dwellings, farmhouses, theatres or industrial plants, and floor plan typologies are significantly characterised by the access system. While the room as a fun