ABSTRACT
Nowadays, the permanence of architecture is challenged as inhabited spaces become obsolete at an increasingly rapid pace. This obsolescence is mainly due to the fast evolution of ways of life, construction techniques, and aesthetic codes.
Instead of trying to meet point by point those fast changes, another way to address obsolescence would be to consider what is not subject to change in the short term.
Through architecture history, traditional housing types convey a sense of permanence. Through their constant improvement process, types leave aside contingent elements only to retain the essential. This sense of permanence can be traced in early domestic manuals as well as in the housing studies carried out by the Italian school of typology.
In all those housing types, the plans display at least one room encompassing a 4 × 4 meter surface. The permanence of such a room is interesting as it allows functional, technical and aesthetic variations. As such, it allows societal variations and can be a lever for future design.
