Curtain
The thesis project examines the relationship between privacy and publicity within the studio topic “Collective transparency”. The primary goal of the studio research was to investigate possible ways of communal living in a contemporary city, and, as a result, design a perimeter block development for approximately 500 inhabitants, consisting of 18 personal units, in dimensions of twenty by twenty meters. Every unit should possess a particular public function on the ground floor, while the rest of the building is left for the residential function.
The public function of the unit, designed by the author of this thesis is a combination of a pharmacy and a beauty salon, as it implies to both public side, or an image of a person - a beauty salon, and to private - medicine - a pharmacy shop. In order to help and develop the story for the project, a combination of a randomly chosen window and a word was distributed. This pair should later have been developed into a narrative - a description of an atmosphere, further to be brought to the building. The combination of “a shop window” and the word “protect” allows to explore the relations between private and public, as to my mind, the concept of a shop window gives a possibility to protect an image by controlling, which parts of it to be exposed, while the rest of the image could be hidden - that embodies the ability to operate with privacy.
As the primary interest is in the relationship between privacy and publicity, the unit is oriented slightly inside rather than outside; it has an inner courtyard, which aims to provide extra daylight to the apartments and to establish the next level of privacy for its residents.
Both of the elevations are transparent: they are made of “shop windows”, where everyday life is being exposed. Paradoxically, it protects its residents’ privacy, since they are in control of what part of their life is to be revealed, and which part is to be hidden, - and the way to do it is using the curtains.
What will attract people to invest in the unit is the possibility to make an everyday choice regarding their privacy: either to stay inside on your own in your small studio apartment or go to the neighboring buildings to enjoy other people`s company, provided and motivated by the design of bigger common kitchens and living spaces.
Physical models of the window. Outside and inside
1st Floor
2_4_6th Floor
3rd Floor
5th Floor
Street elevation
Sections. North-South and West-East
Courtyard
