ABSTRACT
Western society has undergone numerous changes. Alterations in family composition are the most noticeable. The traditional nuclear family which has been the basis for housing design since the Modern Movement has decreased in importance and other family compositions are now more representative. The paper focuses on the analysis of housing units occupied by different households to ascertain dwelling uses and transformations to satisfy inhabitants’ demands and needs. The research is based on case study analysis, through post-occupancy evaluations and enquiries. Two groups of housing units in Lisbon are analyzed, so to understand if contemporary units serve contemporary inhabitants better than one century old dwellings. The main purpose of the paper is to analyze how we use our homes and also to allow for the identification of the dwelling’s spatial or functional shortcomings, so that future projects and designs can be more suited to contemporary society and families.
