Remote working, close connecting - fostering a community feeling in the era of homeworking
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Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Architecture and planning beyond sustainability, MSc
Publicerad
2021
Författare
Kawaf, Shaher
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
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Volymtitel
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Sammanfattning
Research over the years has shown that what became the norm for many workers during the pandemic of covid-19, was in fact already a growing trend (Felstead & Henseke, 2017). The detachment of work from a fixed space has been translated to a large extent into working from home, which also implies potential spatial conflicts within a household, as private spaces need to accommodate the more public functions of a workplace environment (Wapshott, Mallett, 2011). What puts the traditional functions of a home and subsequently of a typical residential building into question is also the aspect of the psychological impact homeworking has. Studies so far have shown that some of the most psychologically challenging aspects of homeworking is separating personal from work life and overcoming the feeling of isolation (Flores, 2019).
So how do we, as architects, address these new realities within our profession? How do we foster a healthy lifestyle and a community feeling when considering the emerging spatial and mental needs of homeworkers?
This project aims to explore a different configuration of functions allocation for future residential buildings by acknowledging that homeworking is here to stay. The testbed for this exploration will be a plot in central Gothenburg, in Stenpiren, which also comes with its own sets of challenges. Being in such a central location calls for addressing the question on how this project will converse with the surrounding area, as well as how this building will relate to and invite in the public sphere.
The methodology that this project adopts is research by design, and will use as a starting point David Sim’s (Gehl Architects) concept of a soft city.