Home, a place that now takes on a whole meaning. In a world where we are all suddenly forced into isolation, our home is now our shelter, our workplace, our gym, and so much more. Adding these programs in our homes means that we need to make room for them, so I propose to overlap programs in the limited space available. Instead of moving between rooms, in Roberto and Giulia’s apartment, the rooms move around you. The apartment blurs the lines between spaces and activities. The open plan allows them to freely move around the space and have seemingly more space for each program. When not in use, the movable furnitures and partitions disappears as white walls of the apartment, creating a large empty space that can be used for gatherings.
At the beginning of my career, right after graduation, I lived with two roommates: a UX Designer and a Finance Consultant. Without realizing it, I became a keen observer to their different work style and how they live and work at home. The UX Designer prioritized having a large space on her desk and walls for inspiration, and a second monitor for an efficient design process. Her work hours were more flexible, with more overtimes during testing season. The Consultant works mostly regular hours, starting at around 8 AM to 5 PM, with a couple overtimes during deadlines. She needed a second monitor to double check data, but she rarely had any paper or books on her desk. Both of them worked from home almost every Friday and the most noticeable commonality that they share is that each of them had at least a couple of conference calls everyday. This project proposes Roberto and Giulia to work in different parts of the room to accommodate their different work style, as well as to create a visual and audio separation to help them focus and work well. The open plan with the movable furnitures and partitions allows the couple to create these semi-private work environment when they are working from home. When Roberto and Giulia are not working, they have the option to "put away" their office and instead, have a larger space for family time, parties, or just essential activities.
The Board:
