By Kazi Cisarova

2006/07 Play for Today

London Metropolitan University undergraduate studio researching the future of shared housing for London.

The unit explored the potential of architecture’s opposites:
public / private
inside / outside
natural / artificial
feminine / masculine
ancient / modern
popular / scholarly
rooted / transient
clear / opaque
real / imaginary

At a time of economic prosperity, in a city buoyed by its international pre-Olympic pre-eminence, the teaching programme questioned assumptions regarding the provision of new housing in London. We proposed collective dwellings which fell between the specificity of a house and the generic requirements of housing, and explored their relationships to public open spaces. With consensus gathering behind the environmental agenda, we asked ourselves what should be the image of the contemporary sustainable city.

The studio encouraged playful exploration of form and programme. The process was intended to be speculative with the outcome unexpected.

1 Elaborated from "Subtle Substances. The Architecture of Lino Bo Bardi," Olivia de Oliveira, 2006

3rd Year Students: Kazi Cisarova, Eva Cmarova, George Demetriou, Renata Grochovskaja, Fernando Manzanal, Cemaliye Necati, Jessica Norberg Bernspang, Rivo Oeselg, Sholto Williams

2nd Year Students: Nana Ayasi Boateng, Adam Gielniak, Max Lacey, Montether Lafta, Myrabel Menis, Najat Mohamed, Kin Bong Yeoug, Sophie Gardiner

Tutors: David Kohn, Silvia Ullmayer, Stephanie Webs

Consultant: Carolyn Roy