4 ms·

Rome had multistorey (3 to 4 of them) residential buildings, and opposite to today, the lower floors were the prestige floors - less climbing, more robust mater

by vacri 9y ago

Rome had multistorey (3 to 4 of them) residential buildings, and opposite to today, the lower floors were the prestige floors - less climbing, more robust materials. The top floors were generally poorly constructed, out of lightweight materials.

dankohn1 9y ago
In Manhattan, buildings over 100yo have taller ceilings on the first couple floors (where the retail shops would be and the owners would live), and then low ceilings on the highest floors for the scriveners and production workers. Of course, it's an issue today when lots of software companies want light (i.e., high floor) and high ceilings. People don't realize what a paradigm shifting technology elevators were.
- caf 9y ago
  The Secret Life of Machines - The Lift (Elevator): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBLa105TQeg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBLa105TQeg
andrewvc 9y ago
These were called insulae[1]. Part of the reason the lower floors were higher prestige was due to the constant risk of fire. In the event of a fire those on the upper floors were in a far worse position in terms of survival. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insula_(building) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insula_(building)
pouetpouet 9y ago
Appart from the the ground floor (for business), it wasn't until the invention of elevators that the top floors were made prestige floors. The bel étage or piano nobile [1] was the first floor above ground level (for relative privacy from the street level). Top floors were not penthouse flats they were attics or lower class housing [2] The first proto skyscrapers were built in the late 19th century. The Equitable Life Assurance Building (1870) and the Home Insurance Building (1885) were office buildings. The idea of a Penthouse appartment [3] dates from the 1920s. And as buildings are only slowly built and renovated, the first floors were still prestige floors well into the 20th century. 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_nobile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_nobile 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chambre_de_bonne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chambre_de_bonne 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penthouse_apartment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penthouse_apartment
jaclaz 9y ago
Yep, and the scheme remained more or less the same in Italy where traditional homes (for the wealthy) have been till the 1900's organized as follows: At ground floor (usually with higher celings than the rest of the house) dining room, sitting room, library, study, most of the "luxury" (marble, columns, paneling, paintings, etc.) was there, as they were the only parts of the house that visitors would see. In the basement the kitchen and cellar (where cook and other servants worked). On first floor (what probably our US friends will call second) the bedrooms for the owners. On second (last) floor, right under the roof, usually with a reduced height AND extremey cold in winter and extremely hot in summer, the servant quarters.

by vacri 9y ago

dankohn1 9y ago

In Manhattan, buildings over 100yo have taller ceilings on the first couple floors (where the retail shops would be and the owners would live), and then low ceilings on the highest floors for the scriveners and production workers. Of course, it's an issue today when lots of software companies want light (i.e., high floor) and high ceilings. People don't realize what a paradigm shifting technology elevators were.

caf 9y ago
The Secret Life of Machines - The Lift (Elevator): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBLa105TQeg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBLa105TQeg

andrewvc 9y ago

These were called insulae[1]. Part of the reason the lower floors were higher prestige was due to the constant risk of fire. In the event of a fire those on the upper floors were in a far worse position in terms of survival. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insula_(building) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insula_(building)

pouetpouet 9y ago

Appart from the the ground floor (for business), it wasn't until the invention of elevators that the top floors were made prestige floors. The bel étage or piano nobile [1] was the first floor above ground level (for relative privacy from the street level). Top floors were not penthouse flats they were attics or lower class housing [2] The first proto skyscrapers were built in the late 19th century. The Equitable Life Assurance Building (1870) and the Home Insurance Building (1885) were office buildings. The idea of a Penthouse appartment [3] dates from the 1920s. And as buildings are only slowly built and renovated, the first floors were still prestige floors well into the 20th century. 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_nobile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_nobile 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chambre_de_bonne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chambre_de_bonne 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penthouse_apartment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penthouse_apartment

jaclaz 9y ago

Yep, and the scheme remained more or less the same in Italy where traditional homes (for the wealthy) have been till the 1900's organized as follows: At ground floor (usually with higher celings than the rest of the house) dining room, sitting room, library, study, most of the "luxury" (marble, columns, paneling, paintings, etc.) was there, as they were the only parts of the house that visitors would see. In the basement the kitchen and cellar (where cook and other servants worked). On first floor (what probably our US friends will call second) the bedrooms for the owners. On second (last) floor, right under the roof, usually with a reduced height AND extremey cold in winter and extremely hot in summer, the servant quarters.