Fores et Fenestrae: A Computational Study of Doors and Windows in Roman Domestic Space

Doors and windows are fundamental to the experience of a house, yet their role in Roman domestic architecture has often been obscured by poor preservation. Lucia Michielin addresses that problem computationally, assembling a database of 1,855 openings from eight towns in imperial Italy and combining statistical analysis with new three-dimensional reconstructions.

A threshold helped decide who could enter a room; a window affected daylight, privacy and what people could see. Michielin brings the remains of buildings together with written and visual evidence, then uses three digital models of different house types to examine views and natural light. The familiar floor plan of a Roman house becomes a place of doors that opened, spaces that could be screened off and rooms that changed through the day.