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House as environment for family living, fulfills various functions like effective use of resources, protection, social and emotional bondage among family members, cultural influence in way of living, religious mindset and social status. Economic function:
- Through group living family resources are economically managed among its members.
- Productive activities are carried out to supplement family income.
- House is a consumption unit as a group; family consumes its utility in total.
- Each member shares space in kitchen, dining, bed, living, bathroom, pooja etc. (not independently but in group) and saves money and increases utility value.
Protective function:
- Protection is most needed at the two ends of life span – childhood and old age.
- House provides protection to all inmates from various changes in weather i.e., sun, wind, heat, cold, rain etc.
- Health would be protected and well – being would be safe guarded during the hours of work, rest and relaxation that we spend in the home.
Emotional function:
- The love and affection enjoyed by family, contributes to mental, emotional, physical and spiritual attachment between one other.
- House may affect this aspect of family life by influencing directly the reactions of the members of the group.
- The social living may limit or heighten depending on provisions made in the house for rest and privacy or quietness that gives sense of peace and inner strength.
Social and cultural function:
- House should be planned to enjoy private living and social living to entertain members like aunts, parents and grand-parents.
- Proper living conditions should promote cultural feelings and provide scope for the unique interests of all members like hobby, seclusion and privacy.
- Family member’s success in private life and public life is totally influenced by this function
- House life of individual affords quiet a different satisfaction from those gained in professional/ occupational activities.
- Recreational and social activities of the family centered on the family life satisfy the need for social life and family member’s desire for love and affection. This satisfaction has a profound influence on the person’s involvement in world of work outside the home.
Religious functions:
- House provides a place for children learn and observe the religious rituals and ceremonies performed by the adult members of the family.
- House promotes spirituality and inner peace to every individual by providing secluded space for performing prayer, meditation and religious congregations.
Self-expressive function:
- Provide for a degree of freedom to facilitate self – expression of all the individuals. Ex. Space may be provided for creative efforts, without affecting other members piece of living.
- The special provisions made in the home promote hobbies and collections not only afford shelter but also adequate background for desirable activities.
- House may affect family life either favorably or adversely depending on the provisions.
- If house is too big and with scattered and unorganized work–center, home maker’s total time is spent on orderliness of house which effects social life
- If too small, it hinders involvement of other members in sharing the work or learning new skills. Ex., child introduced to work in the home, to foster pleasant working companionships with mother/ sister.
- If unorganized to fulfill common functions cause tiredness, cause traffic confusion i.e., between work area and social area.
- If unplanned for specific activities like sewing, laundering, drying clothes, grains lead to crowding and disorder.
- House should provide for social contact between members of family and world outside.
Status defining:
- Houses are designed not only to contribute to private order of family members but also to effectiveness of the family members in public order.
- Social prestige from houses may be sought as an expression of business or professional success.
- A big house with good landscape may announce the financial status, but do not signify his success in private order
- The structure of the house contributes to the depth of the affectional life of the family
- Materials possessed (luxury) may bewilder family members that they may be unable to find these significant values of the private order they should seek.
- Otherwise these turn liability than an asset.
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