ABSTRACT
It is with the rise of the industrialised city that mass
housing becomes an issue that needs addressing with an
intentionality that is beyond the scope of the vernacular.
As a problem of the modern era, housing design is
subjected to the rationale and order of modernity. The
architect, as expert, is expected to deliver solutions,
and the success of these solutions is judged against
the criteria of predictability and control that define
modernity. It is thus not surprising that housing design,
particularly in the twentieth century is subjected to the
rule of quantity and determinism. The plan becomes far
more than a simple architectural device of commodity,
firmness and delight; it assumes the role of ordering
device, a plan that purposely structures action. This
'hard' use in plan — at the level of the building, dwelling
and room — is concerned with the idea that every single
part of a dwelling can be designed and tuned in a way
that first reflects and then determines the activity
within. In the 1920s and 30s in particular, architects
and planners started to standardise activities and create
norms for every aspect of living.
