House, home and the place of dwelling

In the article the nature of human dwelling is discussed. In its innermost sense, dwelling is seen as a process in which the environment is drawn into the sphere of human activities. The emphasis is on the experience of dwelling. This is analysed, firstly, by utilizing the concept of place. While metrical points on maps are abstracted and universal expressions derived from the systems of measurement, the places of a living context are concrete and particular sites of human involvement. Secondly, a distinction between house and home is analysed. As a place of dwelling, house is a referential complex receiving its character in the encounter between the dweller and the house. In a house made familiar, the dweller lives intimately. If fused with emotions, the house becomes a home, a creation difficult to portray from the outside.