'Project Intentions' Masters Year One (2014)

We are facing an incredible moment of crisis to do with where and how people live.

There are two main issues, one is about population growth and the other is that we are just about to reach a peak oil moment and everything about the form of cities will have to change. To spread out into the city is going to be less and less possible, and we are going to have to learn new ways of living densely. This project isn’t saying that density is good, but that there's going to be no choice about it.

An exaggerated emphasis on prosperity and home ownership and an emphasis on private family life has resulted in the breakdown of communities and low density suburbs that have increased a highly privatised social culture.

After interviewing the residents of Millbay 73% revealed they wouldn’t consider communal living. Despite this statistic communal living and sharing of resources is fundamental for the future of the city. This projects aims to break down the barriers and stigma associated with sustainable communities by ‘planting the seed’ and gradually shifting people towards the idea until it becomes a normal way of life.

To achieve this goal residents are incentivised, and provided with extra space within their home each time they ‘choose’ to be more communal.

Stage 1

In the initial phase each unit is provided with a standard kitchen and laundry facilities that provides all their basic needs for cooking, washing and drying clothes. The kitchen is designed as a four piece unit that contains a sink, oven, hob and mini fridge and includes storage and fold out work tops. These units have been designed to be adaptable to meet different functions when cooking and eating. They are also movable so they can be arranged in multiple ways and can also be physically moved out the house. The kitchen units play a fundamental role in the aim of the project.

House type A is the only completely communal unit within the first stage. The reason house type A is designed not to include a kitchen is to ensure there are some willing members using the communal blocks at the start of the project.

 Stage 2

 A common area within the home that people are most likely to want extra room is the kitchen and dining space’s, this is due to it being one of the most social areas within the home. Residents are rewarded with extra space within the kitchen if they choose to move their laundry equipment (washing machine & tumble dryer) out of the kitchen area and choose to use the onsite laundry facilities. This is the first step for residents to see the benefits of communal living. This allows the kitchen units to be rearranged along the wall in place of the units that have been removed resulting in a larger better functioning kitchen. During this stage residents are also encouraged to lower their garden fences. This is to encourage social interaction between neighbours and break down the barriers of the current highly privatised social culture.

 Stage 3

After stage 2 has been completed increased interaction between neighbours in gardens and laundry facilities should help encourage residents to take the final plunge and make their houses fully communal. To achieve this residents are given the option to physically move their kitchen out of their home and into the communal block situated either to the left or right of their house. If this decision is chosen their living space is almost doubled within the house. This provides opportunities to use it for other purposes such as extra playing space for the kids/ a bigger lounge/ extra study space/ space to keep fit etc. It will allow substantial space to cook, eat and socialise when friends and family visit. Over time as the communal block is regularly used it is hoped that different families and people will learn to prepare, cook eat and share food within the communal block and become self-sufficient by using food from the allotments. Stage 3 also aims to completely remove the fences between gardens to signify the strength of the community.