CO-LIVING

09-12.2022

Research project diving into the privacy, comfort and human relations, which analyses how cities affect, or impose the architecture of the room on residents, and what are the ways to reshape the dynamics from the bottom-up movement. 

Project realized with special focus on area of Charlois in south Rotterdam, NL, and future plans for its’ redevelopment. 

Charlois, a neighborhood in Rotterdam with a youthful population, faces challenges such as low income, limited education opportunities, high crime rates, and isolation from the city center.
The Rotterdam Act exacerbates these issues through housing permit policies, negatively impacting the area's character. Gentrification poses a threat, and fostering a strong community bond emerges as a key solution.

The identity of Oud-Charlois, shaped by local activists, is now largely influenced by immigrant workers facing social isolation and subpar living conditions. Addressing current lifestyle preferences, particularly in dynamic cities, is crucial to building a stable community. Short-term solutions contribute to loneliness and crime, emphasizing the importance of community, responsibility, and sustainability for a safe and pleasant environment.

Encouraging residents to collaborate in shaping their living spaces as a cooperative experience could strengthen social bonds and enhance both personal and communal well-being.

MATERIALS

19m steel rod d:12MM
5.1m steel pipe d:20MM

Resistant and strong metal, which gives me a sense of stability. At the same time, I was able to treat it as clay, modelling, bending and smoothing. Working with heavy quipment, high temperatures, the noise and speed cleared my mind, allowing to focus solely on action at the time.


9m silver netting
9m faraday fabric

However softer than steel, it is more fragile and all mistakes leave a mark on the fabric. Nerve-wrecking flexibility of the net made exact measurements almost impossible. Signal blocking textile I found in scrap, used previously in military tents is an isolation layer, both visual and virtual, while the net works as an implicit boundary.


200m black ppm cord d:6mm

I got help in choosing the right material for the net-hammock talking with Emil Hubner, who introduced me into the world of rope, and the consultant of paracord, to consider technical parameters and properties of my options. Using rope and knots allows for experimentation, changes and adjustments in the process, where nothing except cuts is permanent.

SHAPES

like the watchtower, the form represents both control and security. high as me, 1.70m it allows me to climb and sit higher than in standard seat, at the same time
not exceeding my eye-level which leaves me in my comfort zone. spiral, inspired by the staircase, is gradually less steep. this allows for mounting a net in different angles, to lean, sit or lay on.the hammocks were inspired by the net in playgrounds, like in vertical labitynth, rope pyramid or the one that secures the fall, giving both an adventurous feeling and sense of security. as i’m moving a lot while sitting, it encourages more active approach. additionaly, the spiral gives the soft bounce, which reassures the stability. i found and learned to knot the super munter hitch, that works both aesthetically with my form and structurally with weight bearing.