Apartment Block Design : Massing Matters

This architectural design book focuses on massing studies for multi-unit housing projects; namely apartment blocks. It provides a fresh look at architectural synthesis for architects, students and architecture curious readers, focusing on multi-unit housing projects. The book re-examines the apartment block as a design model, for today and tomorrow, through a simple, flexible and explicit design approach. The innovation of this book lies in the idea that any type of apartment block can be designed and understood using three basic fundamental elements: Housing Units, Circulation and Communal Spaces.

The book demonstrates clearly and explicitly, multiple combinations for the three elements, in order to design multiple multi-unit housing projects. Through the examination of twelve globally acknowledged apartment buildings (seen as Case Studies), the book explains some of the numerous possible combinations between these three design elements / programmatic areas, during the massing phase of schematic design. This approach allows multiple design solutions, instead of a single proposal. All Case Studies are examined and analysed using diagrams, drawings and photographs. A conclusion at the end of each chapter outlines the main knowledge acquired.

Beautifully designed and illustrated with over 150 full colour illustrations, this book is essential reading for any architect, student or reader interested in apartment block design.