ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 309

International Conference | Bari - Lecce, Italy Session IV THE GREEN SPACE EXPLORED IN DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL HOUSING TYPOLOGY, ALGERIA Kheira A. Tabet Aoul1 & Wessal Keddah2 1 Architectural Engineering Department, United Arab Emirates University, UAE, [email protected] 2 Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran, Département d’Architecture, Oran, Algeria Abstract It is widely recognized that vegetation carries many benefits with environmental and aesthetic contributions to the built environment as well as to people’s comfort and well-being. However, the contemporary built environment of many Algerian cities, in both city center and suburban housing developments in particular, is characterized by a shyly represented if not totally absent vegetation, creating barren urban landscapes. The scarce vegetation, particularly in individual homes, leads to a number of interrogations, including the impact of houses plot size, typology and occupants’ attitudes and practices towards greenery in the open space of the house and its perceived role and value in everyday environment. This paper presents parts of a broader investigation that explores the spatial configuration and vegetation content within the open space of residential dwellings of different typologies, namely the detached, semi-detached and attached house in a representative neighborhood in the city of Oran, Algeria. A qualitative exploratory approach using site observations, architectural surveys, photographic repertory and semi-structured interviews with occupants were the basis of the research methodology. The results revealed that the spatial configuration of the green space is presented in a stereotypical model, in a rectilinear form along the property walls, independently of the housing typology considered. Furthermore, the size of the plot in the range considered was also found to yield no impact on the degree of presence of vegetation in the open space. Keywords Green space, Individual housing, Housing typology, Vegetation, Spatial configuration, Algeria 307