The Greek pandocheion, Arabic funduq, and Latin fundicum (fondaco) were ubiquitous in the Mediterranean sphere for nearly two millennia. These institutions were not only hostelries for traders and travelers, but also taverns, markets, warehouses, and sites for commercial taxation and regulation. In this highly original study, Professor Constable traces the complex evolution of this family of institutions from the pandocheion in Late Antiquity, to the appearance of the funduq throughout the Muslim Mediterranean following the rise of Islam. By the twelfth century, with the arrival of European merchants in Islamic markets, the funduq evolved into the fondaco. These merchant colonies facilitated trade and travel between Muslim and Christian regions. Before long, fondacos also appeared in southern European cities. This study of the diffusion of this institutional family demonstrates common economic interests and cross-cultural communications across the medieval Mediterranean world, and provides a striking contribution to our understanding of this region.

Residential architecture as a discipline is heavily influenced by culture: both of the architect and of the country where it is located. This dazzling collection of homes by Lebanese architects is richly informed by both historical and modern Lebanon, taking into account all factors of life in that country, from the climate and the vernacular architecture, to the troubled past and Beirut's explosion as a fashionable, modern city. Featuring both urban and rural residences, and even works by trailblazing Lebanese architects in other countries, this book provides and unforgettable glimpse into the traditions, aspirations and influences of Lebanese innovators in the fields of architecture and design.

In the search for sustainable architecture, there is growing interest in the relationship between nature and design. In this vital new book, the termbioclimatic relating to the dynamic between climate and living organisms, is applied by the authors in focusing on countries where housing requires cooling for a significant part of the year. In this context, Bioclimatic Housing covers creative, vernacular architecture to present both the theory and practice of innovative, low-energy architecture. The book interweaves the themes of social progress, technological fixes and industry transformation within a discussion of global and country trends, climate types, solutions and technologies. Prepared under the auspices of a 5-year International Energy Agency (IEA) project, and with case studies from Iran, Malaysia, Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka and Italy, this is a truly international and authoritative work, providing an essential primer for building designers, builders, developers and advanced students in architecture and engineering.

One of the greatest benefits of studying the ancient Greek and Roman past is the ability to utilise different forms of evidence, in particular both written and archaeological sources. The contributors to this volume employ this evidence to examine ancient housing, and what might be learned of identities, families, and societies, but they also use it as a methodological locus from which to interrogate the complex relationship between different types of sources. Chapters range from the recreation of the house as it was conceived in Homeric poetry, to the decipherment of a painted Greek lekythos to build up a picture of household activities, to the conjuring of the sensorial experience of a house in Pompeii. Together, they present a rich tapestry which demonstrates what can be gained for our understanding of ancient housing from examining the interplay between the words of ancient texts and the walls of archaeological evidence.

This Specially curated selection of Mediterranean plans includes eighty-three Andalusian, Tuscan, Italian, Spanish and Courtyard designs, all in the casually elegant style of Dan F. Sater, II, AIBD, where indoor spaces seamlessly merge with outdoor living areas, open layouts and wide rear views reign supreme, and no amenity is spared within the owners' quarters.

This book explores the relationship between the characteristics of the welfare state and the characteristics of the housing system (housing policies, housing outcomes and housing market developments) in different European countries. It consists of a theoretical framework, six published articles and a concluding chapter. All six articles use the welfare state regime theory and typology of Esping-Andersen, the housing system typology of Kemeny or both, or at least some aspects of these, as an explanatory framework. The results of the investigations indicate that there are considerable differences between the various European housing systems. As far as this is concerned, especially the Southern European countries occupy a rather distinct position. For this reason, two articles in the study specifically focus on the Southern European housing system of Spain. The book is relevant for both academics and policy-makers interested in international housing & housing policy developments.