Introduction

A house is more than just a dwelling. It is a source of identity and status and a demonstrator of both to the outside world. It may become identified with, and a place of assembly for, a wider family or lineage than occupies it from day to day (a family house). It may also be a location for the business which provides the basic necessities of life or for one that augments a main income. In this chapter, we can see how transformations assist in turning a simple dwelling into a structure which can fulfil some or all of these functions.

Transformation as occupant participation

In government-built housing areas, transformations could be expected as a manifestation of the alienation which occupants are bound to feel, according to Habraken (1975), in ‘mass housing’. He argues that mass housing cannot satisfy the needs of the occupants because, by its very nature, it must be built in the absence of consultation with future occupants. Moreover, it is impossible to predetermine occupants’ requirements as these will only become apparent through their activity in the dwellings. While mass housing assumes that the dwelling is a consumer item, Habraken argues that no one can live satisfactorily within a fixed environment in which they have no input:

Thus, the acts of alteration and extension to mass housing environments would appear to be as inevitable as that night follows day: