This thesis explores the "Closed Housing Project" (CHP), a building type found in the Colombian capital of Bogota. Responding to Bogota's problem of insecurity, CHPs are groups of dwellings that are organised around, or within, outdoor communal grounds closed to the public and surveyed by an armed guard. / The CHP, however, is much more than gates and guns. Due to its enclosure, it is isolated from Bogota's troubled urban setting. As a result, the CHP has become a marketing phenomena packaged and promoted by developers as an escape from many of the social problems of living in Bogota. The consuming public has accepted this option and popular culture now perceives the CHP as a necessary and appealing way of life. / Mostly drawing from the Bogota architectural press, this study argues that the insular nature of the CHP makes a return to earlier housing types typically found in Bogota, and thus is evidence of architectural continuity in the city. The thesis also analyses the role of the CHP type in contemporary consumer culture.

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