Corridor Society (2018)
Steel Tubes, Plywood, Oak, Upholstery, Paint
Consists of Standing Sofa, Multi Level Lounger, 3/4 Table, Spreading Hub
Hegemony of the family as the only way to live together is no longer deemed invincible. co-living is becoming exceedingly common among mega-city dwellers. However, the dedicated architectural identity of this concept is yet to be defined. Currently, flatsharers need to reappropriate spaces that are specifically designed for the nuclear family which is becoming a very profitable concept for landlords. Roughly half of the shared flats in London don’t have living rooms anymore since they are being rented out as bedrooms. The disparity between the floor plan and this new model of living transforms the rooms into individual micro-houses that accommodate separate households. In which case, the shared flat becomes a micro-neighbourhood where it actually is a house that consists of several houses. If the corridors are what connect these room-houses; then they are more like streets than corridors. they are now an urban typology and a public space. Therefore this project borrows principles from active sidewalk lives of cities and applies those to corridors. Sidewalks as urban living rooms are common land which is a social necessity that makes people feel psychologically connected to a larger social system while working as meeting points and accommodating chance encounters. Common spaces perform the same function in the domestic realm as well. But with the absence of living rooms and dining tables, there are no common spaces left in shared flats. Tenants use their beds as sofas, dining tables and living rooms. Therefore, the bed has become the primary social space at home which is actually a condition encouraging isolation and anti-social behaviour.
'Corridor Society' claims the archaic corridor as the pivotal social space of the shared domestic realm. In this project, the corridor is transformed into an intermediary zone that works as a mechanism that brings tenants together and facilitates more social interaction while still allowing the levels of privacy to be actively mediated by the tenants. As the conventional corridor is a space designed for scuttling people through but not for staying in, place-making practices are required to bring about this transformation. The agents of this transformation is a collection of mediator-furniture that defines a new spatial typology which is a combination of sidewalks, living rooms and corridors. The case studies that guided the design process of the collection were mainly council houses and victorian houses in London, however, the corridor layout is being repeated unquestioningly in residential architecture around the world. So, the collection would also be functional in other mega-cities where lodging is ubiquitous.
References & Inspirations include: one shared house by anton & irene, ‘trapped’ series by benny lam, the doss houses of london, the kommunalka, less is enough by pier vittorio aureli, harvard design magazine no.41&46, famili: proxy paranoia or technological camaraderie by ayr, the death and life of great american cities by jane jacobs, jack self’s lecture as part of ‘the risk society’ at the design museum, figures, doors and passages by robin evans, real review issues 3, 5,& 6, the system of objects by jean baudrillard, verner panton’s multi level lounger
Exhibited at the Royal College of Art Graduate Show, at Global Grad Show as part of Dubai Design Week, and at designjunction as part of London Design Festival in 2018.
