Seray Ozdemir

     The dedicated architectural identity of co-living is yet to be defined. Currently, flatsharers need to reappropriate spaces that are specifically designed for the nuclear family which is becoming a very profitable concept for landlords. Roughly half of the shared flats in London don’t have living rooms anymore since they are being rented out as bedrooms. Along with the absence of dining tables due to kitchens being too small, there are no common spaces left in shared flats. Tenants use their beds as sofas, dining tables and living rooms. Therefore, the bed has become the primary social space at home which is actually a condition encouraging isolation and anti-social behaviour.

     Corridor Society claims the archaic corridor as the pivotal social space of the shared domestic realm. In this project, the corridor is transformed into an intermediary zone that works as a mechanism that brings tenants together and facilitates more social interaction while still allowing the levels of privacy to be actively mediated by the tenants. As the conventional corridor is a space designed to scuttle people through but not for staying in, place-making practices are required to bring about this transformation. The agents of this transformation is a collection of mediator-furniture.

     In Multi Level Lounger (named after Verner Panton’s living units), the emerging space between the seats on different levels is used as a coat rack. It gives the tenants a different perception of their flat from an unusual vantage point while bringing back one of the fundamental functions of the corridor which is creating a transition from urban to domestic.  The coat rack helps tenants to take their urban suits off and become their domestic selves. Standing Sofa is a group of cushions that use the walls as their habitat. They can be hung on the walls like picture frames and can easily be rearranged according to the situation. By encouraging different postures for leaning on the walls, they prolong conversations and make people linger. 3/4 Table is a table/bench with a missing quarter so it can surround and occupy the corner, creating a mutual dining and lounging unit. It minimises lost space by becoming an extension of the architecture. As most kitchens in shared flats are too small to accommodate a dining table, it is rethought and resurrected to benefit from the bonding quality of eating together. Spreading Hub is a hybrid of a floor light and stacking stools. The light aims to improve phenomenological qualities of the corridor to make it a desirable place to stay in. The stools can define either a vertical or a horizontal hub. When they are stacked together, they work as a standing table. When they are spread, they offer seats and tables to turn the corridor into a geometry of conviviality.