The House as System
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2026-04-08T11:57:11+00:00
Image:
Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Silver Heights Digital Tour.
https://winnipegarchitecture.ca/digital-tours/silver-heights/ Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Caption:
We can see how life was ordered through the prescribed designs of houses. A typical suburban residence would separate activities such as living, sleeping, and working. A Design example from CMHC, Design 288, implements distinct zones that organize daily life. Carports and private patios emphasize the suburban ideals of automobility and privatized, manicured land.
Firstly, order was established at the level of the house. Figure 2 shows us that CMHC housing ordered life through the zoning of domestic space. Sleeping quarters were assigned to one specific area of the house away from common areas. Kitchens and dining rooms often acted as the focal point of home life.
Pathways throughout the home are expected and defined. There are prescribed ways to get from one room to another, creating easily distinguishable patterns of daily activities. Private patios and garages made automobility mandatory.
