Lexicon

Definitions of key words used throughout the thesis.


Artefact 
1. An object made by man, especially with a view to subsequent use.
2. Characteristic of a particular time or cultural era.
3. A feature that is not naturally present but is a product of an extrinsic agent.


Type 
1. A grouping based on shared characteristics.
2. An individual, representing the ideal for its class.
3. A pre-existing idea of a kind of building.

Monument 
(from the latin monere - to remind, to warn)
1. An object/artefact which embodies memory.
2. Provides a connection to a society’s history.


Permanence
1. An element of the built environment which exists over time.
Separated into two sub-categories:
a. Propelling Permanence - Use/function changes over time.
b. Pathological Permanence - Use/function does not change.


Utility
1. The usefulness of an architecture
2. Relating to the ability of a piece of architecture to outlive its original function/program.


Layer 
1. A collection of elements of the build environment which have emerged as a response to a common set of contextual forces. Often, but not always, from the same time period.


Study Area 
1. A chosen section of the city which functions as a microcosm of a larger whole, allowing for investigation at a manageable scale.