Socialising spatial types in traditional Turkish houses

Abstract

In this paper we continue the argument which was presented in a previous paper in Environment and Planning B. There, two spatial genotypes were established within a sample of sixteen Turkish vernacular houses. The first was configurationally integrated around the principal living room or sofa, and the second was configured by means of the external paved courtyard which gave access to the dwelling from the street. Houses of the first type were shown to structure significant configurational differences within the suite of principal, first-floor living rooms. The sofa seems to have acted as an integrating hinge which linked these spaces together, and controlled access to and egress from the relatively segregated street outside. The second type of room arrangement was characterised by an integration core whch ran from the exterior through to the interior of the dwelling, and was centred on an external paved courtyard. In this paper we explore further the spatial properties of the two house types, and characterise these as ‘deep core’ and ‘shallow core’, respectively. It is proposed that the first may be considered a more introverted or centripetal plan, and the second a more extroverted or centrifugal layout. These differences are shown to embody alternative forms of household organisation, in that they support different conceptions of family life, gender relations, and ways of receiving guests into the home. The social origin of the genotypes is attributed to the existence of conservative and liberal tendencies within Turkish society during the period at which the houses were constructed.