Generality versus specificity; A study on the interior space of apartments

The sizes of the rooms and the spatial configuration are characteristics of interior space that strongly affect the degree of generality versus specificity concerning functions or use. In the PhD-study referred to in this paper; these characteristics of space are analysed in a sample of 150 apartments built in Oslo since 1930. From this analysis three generations of apartments are identified. Until about 1955 the interior space was general with respect both to the sizes of the rooms and to the spatial configuration. From the 1950s till the 1980s there was a change towards functional specificity; the rooms became more differentiated in size while the spatial layout became deeper and more hierarchic. Since then; the number of rooms has decreased and the spatial layout has become simpler; the apartments have changed towards a type in-between the two described above. However, due to both the sizes of the rooms and to the positioning of the different rooms within the spatial configuration, the interior space is still highly specific regarding function or use. It is hard to see that the apartments now being built are corresponding to the contemporary diversity of preferences about housing and living.