PROJECT 1.
[Communal garden view]
Room[s] to manoeuvre: choreographing the dwellscape
about.
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Pitt Street, Edinburgh
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2025
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Individual Project
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The brief calls for high-quality, dense social housing that integrates the existing community and fosters a future, enriched sense of place. Incorporated within is a provision for commercial and public spaces – both as a response to the site’s industrial presence and as a means of creating vibrant streets that contribute to the local economy and sense of belonging.
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The thesis explores the concept of a ‘dwellscape’ – a continuous domestic landscape composed of equal-sized, indeterminate ‘places’ that support inhabitant appropriation in multiple ways, addressing the fertile potential of the in-between. The ambiguity, rooted in the homogeneity of rooms without a defined hierarchy, enables flexibility. This idea extends beyond the physical structure to consider patterns of living, movement, and social interaction. Movable partitions remove thresholds, forming an active interior that does not contain but continuously frames and re-frames space to accommodate the residents’ ever-changing physical, mental, and emotional needs. This process of concealing and revealing uncovers spaces to the exterior, where generous balconies and walkways serve as front and back gardens. Acting as a secondary skin, the outer framework negotiates between the modularity of the interior and the inevitable irregularity of its surrounding context. It forms a layered spatial composition in which the façade becomes habitable, dissolving the indoor/outdoor threshold and mediating between the public and private realm.
At the heart of the proposal is a central garden, a shared sanctuary where the rhythms of daily life come together, designed to unite both new and existing residents. Winding pathways meander through lush greenery, revealing pockets of tranquillity designed for rest and private reflection.
A considered response to site-specific conditions, the proposal challenges outdated spatial planning principles rooted in functionally predetermined, cellular spaces. Instead, it proposes a framework for social housing design – one that can be adopted and re-imagined in other urban contexts to better serve contemporary dwellers and their evolving lifestyles.
site strategy.
On the Street
Much of the early design thinking drew on the work of British architect Peter Barber, renowned for his low-rise, high-density housing that places social engagement at its core. His projects are commonly structured around streets and courtyards, emphasising the importance of an active street life in fostering a strong community.
Condition 1: Facing an existing communal garden Condition 2: Facing a new communal garden Condition 3: Facing a new pedestrianised street Condition 4: Facing a busy industrial street Condition 5: Facing a quiet residential street
drawing from memory.
This drawing was produced following a drawing workshop led by Judith Losing, which explored how our recollections of childhood homes inform our understanding of domestic space.
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All internal partitions excluding those facing the entrance hall were sliding doors.
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All rooms aside from the entrance hall are accessed via the open-planned kitchen, dining, and living space.
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A continuous outdoor terrace spanning the entire width of the apartment is reflective of the traditional ‘Engawa’ and functions as another means of circulation connecting sepe-rate spaces.
[Childhood home in Ibaraki, Japan]
[Identifying standard proportions]
[Modular configuration by flat type]
[2 Bedroom Plan annoted with 3.6 x 3.6m grid]
Ambiguous Boundaries
The sliding doors, concealed within non-structural stud walls, eliminate any articulation of thresholds, creating a seamless transition between spaces. Activated by movement, the sequential act of revealing and obscuring connects a series of interconnected environments, transforming the act of passage into a subtle choreography.
Borrowed Light
These interior windows serve as mediators between moments of daily life, fostering connections both horizontally and vertically. These openings borrow light from the expansive double-height space, allowing natural light to penetrate deeper into the floor plan. By framing views, sound and movement, the interior windows foster a sense of connection and depth, enhancing the experience of the inhabited space.
[Interior view of 3 bedroom apartment]
[Interior view of 4 bedroom maisonette]
Integrating Industry, Commerce and Living
The project acknowledges that truly sustainable and resilient urban environments must support mixed-use ecosystems – places where living, working and making can coexist meaningfully. From a social standpoint, a diverse program promotes a vibrant and inclusive community life. As such, the architecture does not segregate living and working but explores how thresholds, shared zones, and layered enclosures can support productive coexistence.
