Abstract
For the past few decades, residential yards in the Swedish housing development have been the negative of the built volume, a space created as a result of something else, rarely something that has been in focus. It has been balancing on the edge between private and public, resulting in spaces with no true ownership and a hard read use. How is the residential yard affected by being accessible to the public and what purpose do the common spaces have for the residents?
With the leading research question being how can the architecture activate the residential yard and create space for social relations, this thesis will explore how the architecture can support an active yard and create a platform where the neighbors can meet and claim ownership. In addition, I will investigate how the yard relates to the dwellings, exploring the relationship between the private space and the common, social space. The importance of common spaces in a residential building will be investigated through literature and reference projects, which will serve as a base in the design proposal of the multifamily building in the city center of Gothenburg, Sweden. The proposal aims to create qualitative common space and housing for the residents, and create a defined cityscape, where the environment around the proposal is framed and more attractive.
The aim of the thesis is to create an innovative design proposal for a multifamily building where shared space and architecture is interweaved. This thesis underlines the importance of having common spaces in a residential building and create knowledge in how design affects the social life.
Keywords
Social sustainability, yard, common space