The success of a building is often decided in its first few metres: where it meets the pavement, the neighbour and the passing stranger.
A useful ground floor
Mixed-use buildings are frequently described through their programmes, yet the quality of their ground floor depends on less abstract things. Can someone find the entrance? Is there somewhere to wait? Does a closed shopfront leave anything for the street?
Making common ground
At Commons House, a shared kitchen occupies the most visible corner. It can host a residents’ dinner or a small neighbourhood event. Its doors and opening hours are as important to the project as the materials of the facade.
The ordinary encounter
A route through a building can either avoid or invite contact. Neither is always right. We look for a range of conditions: a quiet way home, an open stair, a seat at the edge of a shared space. Choice makes collective life more comfortable.
What the drawing cannot settle
A plan can make an encounter possible, but it cannot guarantee a community. Management, affordability and everyday care shape the life of a project after completion. Architecture has a role in that story, and a responsibility to understand its limits.
Notes from an independent practice.
Copenhagen · London · Kyoto