Introduction

Courtyard housing is one of the oldest forms of domestic development spanning at least 2000 years and occurring in distinctive form in many regions of the world. Traditionally associated with the Middle East where climate and culture have given shape to a particular type of courtyard housing, other examples exist in Latin America, China and in Europe, where the model has been reinterpreted. This book demonstrates, through discussions on sustainability and regional identity, and via a series of case studies, technical planning and design solutions, that the courtyard housing form has a future as well as a past.