The Terrace Houses of Ephesus were selected as the primary reference for this project because they provide a compelling lens into the architectural logic and social infrastructures of an ancient city that has persisted for millennia. These exceptionally well-preserved residences—positioned in close proximity to workshops, baths, and civic buildings—demonstrate the seamless interweaving of domestic and public life.

A recent visit to Ephesus underscored the striking repetition, geometric clarity, and spatial rigor of the Terrace Houses. Their configuration appears almost algorithmic, with sequences of courtyards, atria, and rooms unfolding systematically along the topography. This observation underscores the potential for reinterpreting ancient typologies through cellular automata and rule-based design approaches—not as static archaeological remnants, but as dynamic systems of relationships among private and public domains, order and variation, architecture and lived experience.