Theory
Elasticity of public and private spaces is an essential element when talking about the concept of overlapping functions. Public and private are two extremes, antipodes, and each of them can be described with many elements and qualities. Public space associates with flow, velocity and openness, while private space appears to be enclosed, tranquil and intimate. Public usually has a close relation to exterior, while private represent the interior protected space. Relationships between those two realms varies greatly, and there are possibilities of public space becoming private and vice versa. The strong character of each realm suggests that in order to overlap them there should be a mediator, which assists in creating a continuous journey. In architecture the term semi-public, or semi-private, is often used to describe the transition spaces, however in our understanding this space becomes not defined and often not used to its full potential. For examples, shared courtyards inside high-rise blocks (fig 9), according to our experience, are empty most of the time because their function is not specified. Only sometimes used for parties or outdoor meals, people tend to prefer either very vibrant public spaces, with many people and noise or their sacred private space. Therefore the project will not aim at reproducing semi-public spaces, it will rather work with common spaces, which have clear functions and usage pattern. If we relate this common layer to the building it will represent the intermediate layer.
PUBLIC vs PRIVATE
Fig 9. Courtyard atmosphere by BIG, Orestad, Copenhagen
As a result the gradient of privacy (fig10) can be organized in three scales: EXTERIOR/public, INTERMEDIATE/common and INTERIOR/private.
INTERIOR INTERMEDIATE EXTERIOR
Fig 10. Gradient of privacy starting with public, transforming to common areas and reaching private units.
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