Resources on Modern Bungalows

Modern Bungalows

Modern Architecture

Modern architecture is usually characterised by:

• a rejection of historical styles as a source of architectural form (historicism)
• an adoption of the principle that the materials and functional requirements determine the result
• an adoption of the machine aesthetic
• a rejection of ornament
• a simplification of form and elimination of "unnecessary detail"
• an adoption of expressed structure
• Form follows function

Excerpt from "Modern architecture." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 27 Oct 2006, 16:11 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 30 Oct 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Modern_architecture&oldid=84068536

Bungalows

A bungalow [..] is a type of single story house. The word derives from Hindi word bangla from 1676. It literally means a house "in the Bengal style". Such houses were traditionally small, only one story, thatched and had a wide veranda. Bungalows today are a type of house that is usually single story or one and a half stories, and can be quite large.

Advantages
Bungalows are very convenient for the homeowner in that all living areas are on a single story and there are no stairs between living a reas. A bungalow can be more easily converted to a wheelchair-accessible home. Neighborhoods of only bungalows offer more privacy than similar neighborhoods with two story houses.

With bungalows, strategically planted trees and shrubs are usually sufficient to block the view of neighbors. With two story houses, the extra height requires much taller trees to accomplish the same and it may not be practical to place such tall trees close to the house to obscure the view from the second floor of the next door neighbor. On the other hand even closely spaced bungalows make for quite low density neighborhoods, contributing to urban sprawl.

Cost and space issues
On a per unit area basis (e.g. per square foot or per square metre), bungalows are more expensive to construct than two story houses because a larger foundation and roof area is required for the same living area. The larger foundation will often translate into larger lot size requirements as well. This is why bungalows are typically fully detached from other houses and do not share a common foundation nor party wall. If the homeowner can afford the extra expense of a bungalow relative to a two story house, they can typically afford to be fully detached as well.

Though the 'footprint' of a bungalow is often a simple rectangle, any foundation is possible. For bungalows with brick walls, the windows are often positioned high and are right to the roof. This avoids the need for special arches or lintels to support the brick wall above the windows. In two story houses, there is no choice but to continue the brick wall above the window (and the second story windows may be positioned high and right to the roof.)

Excerpt from "Bungalow." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 29 Oct 2006, 13:12 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 30 Oct 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bungalow&oldid=84414412