In the beginning, man just had basic necessities met, with food as the most basic of all. Growing familiar with his environment, the need for body covering led to the invention of clothing. Those primitive days required him to move from place to place according to food availability and climate suitability for his comfort and safety. As his relationship with nature stabilised, he began to weary of his nomadic existence and settled down in favourable locations. This opened the door to the invention of shelters later evolving into more formal homes for him, his family and clan.
Man’s wanderings over land and across oceans led to the birth of different customs and traditions that influenced architecture, clothing, commerce, laws and practices. The shelter was no exception as it evolved in size and style according to changes in fashion and trends. Cross-culture influences also occurred as a result of colonisation, invasions and/or just plain migration motivated by economic and political agenda. It ushered in architectural evolution of contrasts and similarities of dwellings in different cultures as single-family residences or rented commercial buildings.
At present, the following types of residential buildings embody the main architectural design manifestations of the evolution:
- The cottage is a small house of American architecture typically described as having four main rooms, two to each side of a main corridor. The kitchen, laundry and bathroom are usually housed at a back annex. Most Australian versions have front verandas. Older versions in the UK and Ireland range from one to three storeys.
- Commonly found in the US and other American-influenced cultures but very rare in the UK, bungalows are medium- to large-size free-standing homes usually in generous blocks, with some rooms having interconnecting doors for convenience.
- The villa, still common among the affluent in Italy and other European countries, has originated from Roman times. These are large country houses used as retreats by wealthy owners, usually high-ranking officials. Its present-day form is a free-standing comfortable-sized house on a large block usually with a modest garden. Also found in the US, Australia and parts of the Asian Continent where the affluent can afford it.
- Mansions are very large houses, more than one story high with a generous garden on a very large parcel of land or estate. Ten or more employees, sometimes a whole village of them, tend to the mansion and its grounds.
In our age of commercialisation, many of these residential structures are rented out to transients or long-term clients as semi-permanent residence in busy cities or vacation resorts common in countries like Australia and the USA. Mansion rental, if accordingly priced, will be tantamount to buying a decent flat.
Isn’t it a wonder that from just a simple roof over his head, man was able to conceive very large dwelling places such as mansions and palaces? Along the developmental path of housing and construction, architects, contractors, designers, engineers, manufacturers and real estate agents and brokers enriched themselves and built decent estates of their own.