THE SHARABLE SOLO

The proposal envisions a 9-story pencil building to fit within the block's 25-meter height allowance. It fully occupies the 21sqm buildable area with a 14sqm inhabitable space served by a 7sqm circulation core. The design takes a frame structure to define the interior grid while allowing flexible configuration on individual floors.By arranging the interior space upon specifications of "private realm", "sharable realm upon my will," and "other person's realm," the project allows one to customize a sharable space for activities of personal interest, open it to the others for participation or simply show-off, and visit next-floors for their sharable activities. To fit both the private and sharable space within a pencil building's tiny footprint, I rediscover the traditional Japanese concept of shoji panels which divides and recombines space by sliding upon circumstances.

The building contains a laundry lounge at the entrance, a covered activity deck on the top, and 7 solo dwellings occupying inhabitable floors. Each unit includes a module of private space that can be filtered by shoji panels when the dweller opens his/her sharable space to the next-floors. The other side of the shoji rails presents a configurable program that embodies the dweller's identity, interests, and expertise that he/she wants to share, serve, and show-off to others. After finishing a shared activity, the dweller can slide the panels aside, pull down the Murphy beds or roll out the futons from the closet, and reclaim the unit as integrated space for a peaceful solo moment. In addition to the shoji panels as room dividers, the proposal also advances the 'sliding' concept at unit entrances and the street facades to adjust its openness within spatial constraints.

The proposal demonstrates the concept with the seven units accommodating a gamer, an artist, a bartender, a scholar, a chef, a tea master, and a gardener. Whether professional or amateur, registered or self-claimed, they acquire opportunities to announce and fulfill their favorite identities as part of a lively community within and beyond the building. On the personal level, the diverse shareable activities may complement each other to enrich one's residential experience beyond his/her familiar zones and maintain a physically intimate social network in the increasingly distant society of the digital age.