why is this a house?

We make the assumption, which is quite reasonable, that this is a dwelling. No objective criteria for scale is given, the details are rudimentary and abstract, and the landscape is barren and devoid of context. From Laugier to Frank Lloyd Wright to Royal Barry Wills to Dwell magazine, there has been a constant dialogue about the fundamental geometry of domestic architecture. The detached single family home, which is the staple of the American landscape and the aspiration of nearly all (or so we are told), is at once modern and ancient. We can imagine some human family from a hundred thousand years ago staking out a claim to a bit of space and defining it with materials.

I wonder if a statistical analysis has been done of the prevalence of this form in the history of domestic architecture. I'm willing to bet that it dominates by a significant margin. After all, a rectangle with a pitched roof lends itself to many climates, multiple materials and a range of scales that are consistent with the proportions of the human body.

But, this is not a house; it is a picture of some shapes on the internet. Thank you Google, for providing SketchUp for free.