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Document Details :

Title: Reconstructing the Garden Houses at Ostia
Subtitle: Exploring Water Supply and Building Height
Author(s): STEVENS, Saskia
Journal: BABESCH
Volume: 80    Date: 2005   
Pages: 113-124
DOI: 10.2143/BAB.80.0.630021

Abstract :
The Garden Houses in Ostia are a large-scale apartment complex built during the reign of Hadrian. The complex is most famous for its standardised layout of the medianum-apartments in the central courtyard.
By analysing the preserved internal staircases of the core apartments, the height of the buildings could be reconstructed; they appeared to correspond to the contemporary building regulations.
The consensus is that Roman apartments generally lacked water related facilities. An in-depth study of the Garden Houses on site, however, has revealed that the central apartments had a water drainage system and a direct connection to the urban water net.

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