Week 12

This week we had the symposium!

The title of my research is Exterior, Interiors. Creating a courtyard of green space at the heart of a dwelling.

For my project I looked at the idea of a courtyard house. 

The term ‘courtyard’ traditionally refers to an unroofed area that is completely or partially enclosed by buildings.

To start off with I looked at traditional examples of courtyard houses and started with middle eastern courtyard houses.

Traditional Middle Eastern homes have focused on the courtyard as an intrinsic design element. They were known as the ‘architecture of the veil’ because its inner spaces are not visible from the outside. Developed from the nomadic concept of tents being put up around a central space, the houses are typically accessed through a small accessway that leads into the courtyard. Due to the lack of decoration on the external walls and doors, it is often difficult to judge the relative wealth or poverty of its inhabitants. In this way the courtyard becomes a means of transition from the stresses and pressures of the external world to privacy and calm of the natural environment in the inner sanctum. I also looked into islamic courtyard houses and discovered that they were often influenced by climate, availability of building materials, religious requirements for privacy (particularly for women), socio-cultural practices regarding the treatment of neighbours and guests and above all a requirement for modesty in life.

I then began to look at the courtyard houses of the 1950’s and 60’s.In 1955, McHarg proposed enclosed courtyard spaces as design considerations in modern architecture. He suggested that an open-air courtyard would promote a social focus and remove unsightly clotheslines, rubbish bins and other signs of urban decay and promote optimum solar orientation. In this way the open space would rise above ‘utility’ and ‘function’ to become a combined experience of ‘‘sunlight, sky, leaves and grass, sticks, stones and the changing seasons’’ 

Talk about next bit in relation to the bonsai.


As humans we have a natural preference for four types of natural contents: savannas, water features, vegetation and flowers. In a modern design context, a savanna becomes a park-like expanse which has evolved over time into a lawn. These four criteria evoke an emotional response and connection because they all link to the concept of survival, protection and sustenance. This also links to the idea of biophilia. Biophilia is defined as the human need to immerse themselves into and within, nature. It is the way we identify with it and choose to interact with it.  Incorporating biophilic affiliations can reduce stress, enhance creativity and improve our well-being. Gone are the day when we built single lodges or the small collections of cottages that house a single community. Now we build to live alone, facing inward and often forming a barrier against the community we are a part of. The connection with the natural environment too, has been minimised as section sizes grow smaller and houses have an ever bigger footprint.  I believe the revival of the traditional middle eastern or eastern concept of the internal courtyard, with devices that can be used to modify seasons and landscaping within the courtyard itself is the way to address this. 

Reference list

Alabidin, M. Z. (n.d.). The Courtyard Houses of Syria. Retrieved from http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/courtyard-houses-syria 

Browning, W.D., Ryan, C.O., Clancy, J.O. (2014). 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design. New York: Terrapin Bright Green llc.

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Islam, M. A. & Al-Sanafi, N. H. (2006). The traditional courtyard house of kuwait and the influence of islam. In Edwards, B., Sibley, M., Hakmi, M. & Land, P. (Eds),  Courtyard housing: past, present and future. Taylor & Francis: New York.

John-Alder, K. L. “Toward a New Landscape: Modern Courtyard Housing and Ian Mcharg’s Urbanism.” Journal of Planning History 13.3 (2013): 187-206. Print.

Joye, Y. (2007). A Tentative Argument for the Inclusion of Nature-Based Forms in Architecture. Doctoral thesis retrieved from http://agnesvandenberg.nl/nature%20based%20architecture.pdf


Laffah, M. (2006). The courtyard garden in the traditional Arab house. In Edwards, B., Sibley, M., Hakmi, M. & Land, P. (Eds),  Courtyard housing: past, present and future. Taylor & Francis: New York.

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Marriage, G. (n.d.). Pavlova paradise and the curse of the side yard. School of Architecture, Victoria University. Retrieved from http://Pavlova_paradise_and_the_Curse_of_the_Si%20(1).pdf  

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