SHINKENCHIKU RESIDENTIAL DESIGN COMPETITION 2017: LIVING IN CARPARK DIMENSIONS
Malaysians love their cars. The limited access to public transportation networks forces many Malaysians to spend hours daily in the confines of their cars. Perhaps this relationship with cars also explains our preference for living in terrace (row) houses where cars are parked within the house compound and are immediately accessible.
A typical terrace house unit in Malaysia - usually 2 to 3 stories in height - averages 8 meters in width and 25 meters in length, while a carpark bay typically measures 2.5 meters in width and 5 meters in length. This proposal explores the spatial implications of reducing the width of terrace house units from 8 meters to a mere 2.5 meters- the width of a carpark bay - while retaining its length– which, at 25 meters is equivalent to the length 5 carpark bays arranged end to end.
The reduction in horizontal dimensions led to a vertical arrangement of spaces in a section with split levels. Spaces are connected to a central staircase/shelf and are always next to terraces andgardens which bring in light and air. This vertical spatial sequence culminates in an indoor garden on the top floor with a retractable roof. This proposal is not meant as a solution, or a prototype for the market, but is an attempt to question our relationship to spatial dimensions. What kind of qualities could be generated in spaces of minimal dimensions? What could it be like to live in houses with carpark dimensions?
Living in Carpark Dimensions was a submission for the 2017 Shinkenchiku Residential Design Competition with the theme of ‘House of Dimensions’