Many of these materials and construction methods were widely used for many years, if not centuries. Some were completely replaced by later methods or only found in certain niches. Many survived through the Progressive Era into the the time of the New Diasporia. It is still possible to find structures of stone, brick, wood, steel and glass, but most modern methods of the construction of buildings use monosurface construction. This building method uses a building shell of ceramic nanotech material formed in a single piece. Interior support members are formed in a uni-structure with the outer walls.
 |
| Typical mechanicals space w/ access panel removed. |
The structural cross section of the outer shell consists of a skin which is capable of absorbing light and heat and converting it to power. The surface has the property of instant chameleon pigmentation control, that is, it can change color under the control of its inhabitants. Beneath the skin an insulating layer keeps the interior cool in summer and warm in winter. Over the insulating layer a mechanicals space exists where power and fluid transport systems are installed. These spaces exist between the support members. Over these spaces the interior walls are fastened. These walls are removable, allowing rapid access to the systems beneath.
Window panes are capable of being adjusted from opaque to transparent and also have the ability to allow light to only pass from outside to inside, allowing for the perfect privacy barrier.
Natural materials are still used for trimming, though often they are coated or treated with advanced materials to prevent water damage, rotting or other problems, and to enhance their own structural capabilities and beauty.
Building design is a mixture of engineering limitations, artistic license and social trends. Residential design specifically is constrained by the above aspects. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century the limitations of heating technology resulted in the dominance of small rooms with many doors, to better utilize the inefficient heating technologies. Meals were cooked by domestics or the female spouse and served in a separate dining room (or eaten at the kitchen table, dependent on class and social circumstance.) In the late twentieth and early twenty-first century improved HVAC systems and a lifestyle shift resulted in the prevalence of large open floor plans, with kitchen, dinning area and living/media space all joined together.
Post-nano modern homes tend toward a large number of bedrooms, suitable for the large families of the New Diasporia era. Bedrooms tend to be either fairly small or else larger and used as nurseries with multiple inhabitants. Houses are designed around the hub, which is a multi-function room used by the whole family for most activities. Portable wireless devices, and the general lack of interest in what a Progressive Era person would call "major media" means that while video and audio technology is embedded throughout the home, spending hundreds of hours a week planted in front of flat or three dimensional viewing screens is not a common practice. Large viewing surfaces and three dimensional projectors allow instant access to media from the houses central inter-web, but information is much more likely to be accessed via anyone of a number of portable devices which are commonly worn by most family members.
While autonomous robotic devices are quite rare, computer control is built into almost every device in the home. Cooking is usually a collective activity, and most families demand children both engage in work about the house and expect them to spend time mastering the skills necessary to assist.
Homes tend to be very self sufficient, with power collected from sunlight and heating using geo-thermal systems. On most worlds stand alone wells and septic systems are preferred to collective systems.
