Edges of Privacy

3 units

In collective housing, interactions between neighbors occur in often tight spaces of shared access. In hallways, walkways, stairs, and landings, proximity to the private spaces of the dwelling is extreme. Many architects have been experimenting with open-walkway access type in collective housing beyond an economical means of circulation. Buildings that use open-walkways - which in colder climates can be glazed - often provide energy savings, as they allow for the cross-ventilation of units and can serve as climatic buffers and passive heat sources. Additionally, these spaces offer potential scenarios of both conviviality and conflict, a contrasting condition to be reconciled through design to create housing for diverse groups of people. In this seminar, students will explore selected historic and contemporary housing examples with open-access walkways - both successes and failures - in Europe and Latin America. Through lectures, research, analysis, discussions, and rigorous redrawing of selected buildings, students will examine - organizationally, spatially, and socially - the modes of interaction afforded by design and the potential for this access type. The seminar is part of the ongoing research project Edges of Privacy. Open Access Walkways in Collective Housing and the work may result in a publication and exhibition. It is open to undergraduate juniors and seniors and graduate students who have completed the core sequence.