A Case Study of Home Boundaries in Washington Park and Thurston Woods
Mentor 1
Arijit Sen
Location
Union 344
Start Date
28-4-2017 12:20 PM
Description
The home is a domain of private space for a resident. A well-marked boundary divides interior private space of a resident from outer public spaces. All homes have boundaries that separate the two domains. While this boundary is different in each household, the types of activities that occur in each domain have commonalities. The interior domain, or Defensible or sacred space, is a space where intimate conversations and interactions or time for one's self occur, while interactions with outsiders are made in the outside world, or profane space. Constructed boundaries can be literal (visual or material) such as the exterior walls of a home, a division between the front and back of a home, a fence or the outer border of a yard. They can also be symbolic or cultural. For example, the front/back, public/private division of a home is assumed in some cultures and can therefore be socially obeyed. This essay argues that there are certain similarities between how homeowners in different neighborhoods construct boundaries and domains in their spaces to form home. My analysis will compare the construction of these domains in the Washington Park and Thurston Woods neighborhoods by using home floor plans and homeowner oral histories collected through the BLC Field School. The Spatial Performance theory of architecture states that we, as humans, create places, but those places make and shape us. Evaluating characteristics of home, such as boundary and domain formation, in the context of the space provides insight into how homeowners act, think and participate in daily activities.
A Case Study of Home Boundaries in Washington Park and Thurston Woods
Union 344
The home is a domain of private space for a resident. A well-marked boundary divides interior private space of a resident from outer public spaces. All homes have boundaries that separate the two domains. While this boundary is different in each household, the types of activities that occur in each domain have commonalities. The interior domain, or Defensible or sacred space, is a space where intimate conversations and interactions or time for one's self occur, while interactions with outsiders are made in the outside world, or profane space. Constructed boundaries can be literal (visual or material) such as the exterior walls of a home, a division between the front and back of a home, a fence or the outer border of a yard. They can also be symbolic or cultural. For example, the front/back, public/private division of a home is assumed in some cultures and can therefore be socially obeyed. This essay argues that there are certain similarities between how homeowners in different neighborhoods construct boundaries and domains in their spaces to form home. My analysis will compare the construction of these domains in the Washington Park and Thurston Woods neighborhoods by using home floor plans and homeowner oral histories collected through the BLC Field School. The Spatial Performance theory of architecture states that we, as humans, create places, but those places make and shape us. Evaluating characteristics of home, such as boundary and domain formation, in the context of the space provides insight into how homeowners act, think and participate in daily activities.
