A sense of home; objects of homemaking and the exploration of social architecture

Abstract

The concept of home is widely discussed and well researched in an array of fields, more so in recent years in combination with the discourse on migration. This has implications on the research of the concept of home, especially within the architectural field. To explore this, the aim of this thesis is to answer the question: how and through what means do newly arrived international students create a sense of home after relocating? One can wonder what the role and responsibility of the architect is concerning feelings of home and “homemaking”, or in other words, creating a sense of home. This thesis also investigates if there is a way for architects to design spaces past materialities by understanding architecture as social objects. This thesis therefore discusses the following questions: What is the architect’s role in the design of a home, as opposed to the design of a house, and how can this kind of design be done? What is the architect’s responsibility in designing buildings with a sense of home? A Sense of Home is a thesis based on extensive theoretical research across academic disciplines, and qualitative means of data gathering with a heavy focus on material obtained through interviews. These narratives belong to residents of the student housing Gibraltar Guesthouse. The international students who participated in the study recently migrated from outside of Europe and have all lived in Gothenburg, Sweden, for less than 2 years. By comparing the participants’ responses, themes have been identified which then has iteratively been compared to the theoretical research. Through this process, three personas have been created, each relating to homemaking differently. The thesis explores what implication migration has on the experience of home and the process of homemaking. By identifying themes in the discussion of belonging related to both spatiality and materiality, this thesis gives light to the increasingly important topic of migration and home in the age of globalization. Using the aforementioned personas, a series of architectural designs further analyzes this phenomenon. This thesis contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how people navigate the terrain of making new homes.