World atlas of contemporary houses : International houses atlas /

　　one of the esntial commonali-ties uniting all mankind is the necessity for shelter. in spite of all the differences that age-old differing cultural and soci-etal traditions have wrought across the globe, the archetypal need for hous-ing as a "place of home" remains un-changed as one of the most pressing emands facing humanity. in the face of an ever-tighter woven world the tra-ditional cultural and regional chasms that once generated vastly different residential solutions within individual regions, countries, and continents are invariably being dissolved. as an expression of the common desire for humans everywhere to live in dignity,the houses portrayed here document an ever-increasing commonality in resi-dential architecture worldwide wherein a triumphant renaissance of the ideals of modernist architecture serves as a common denominator in the creation of exuberant new house solutions. at the same time, regional differences continue to exist, enrich, and invigor-ate the global discussion on residential architecture. 　　 this book is therefore organized into chapters devoted to analyzing simi-larities and differences that unite and separate the myriad solutions currently being explored on all six continents around the world.