TRADITIONAL VALUES VERSUS MODEM CONVENIENCES: AN ANALYSIS OF TRADITIONAL COURTYARD AND CONTEMPORARY HOUSE DESIGN TRENDS IN LAHORE

Abstract

Courtyard house, as one of oldest forms of housing tradition, is a remarkable form of residential architecture due to its attributes of naturally climate controlled spaces, spaces of peace and seclusion and as a central nucleus (a social space) around which domestic life revolves. In Lahore, visible transformation of housing trends has continued after independence (1947) with several emerging issues of growing population, rapid densification and exponentially rising land value. By 1960s and 70s, bungalow style of housing with a flavor of modernism inspired middle and upper middle income people to adopt modern life style. All these facts impelled courtyard style of housing into complete disuse. Researchers and designers are certainly aware of the need to cope with local climatic and energy crisis problems in residential architecture to enhance physical comfort of inhabitants which needs to analyze design and performance patterns of traditional courtyard houses, in comparison to modern detached houses. This research paper, through analysis of two local case studies in Lahore, explores how a courtyard house can be revived with minimal interventions to achieve climatically responsive houses that would be address adequately the climatic concerns. Findings on evolution and aspects of housing typologies (courtyard house, detached and semidetached houses), followed by comparative case studies analysis, and field investigation through questionnaire and interviews supplement research methodology for this paper.