Housing Design is primarily focused on residential construction in larger entities, such as stacked developments. Because of its wide-ranging approach to the theme, this manual is also useful when designing in low densities and even for the design of an individual house or villa. It provides the tools necessary to analyse the context of residential construction, ranging from large-scale tabula rasa plans to the infill of a gap in an urban elevation.

With regard to the tectonics of residential construction, the supporting structure, the envelope, the scenography and the service elements are dealt with in turn, in each case considering the consequences of the choice of material and form for the space and the living experience. The manual pays considerable attention to the relationship between the domestic floor plan, space and how it is experienced.