119_Peter Hsi: swit[CH]ange HOUSE

Peter Hsi

University/firm name Pratt Institute Instagram @peter6213

swit[CH]ange HOUSE

Description of project

IN THIS NEW AGE WE LIVE IN, THE CONCEPT OF SHARING HAS TRANSFORMED IN A WAY THAT CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING WE WERE TAUGHT AS A KID. ONE OF THE MOST DRASTIC CHANGE COMES FROM THE CONCEPT OF HOME SHARING, THE IDEA WAS TO BRING STRANGERS INTO YOUR HOUSE FOR A TEMPORARY STAY. HOWEVER, REGARDLESS OF THE IDEA BEING CHANGED, THE ARCHITECTURE STAYED THE SAME. AS MIES VAN DER ROHE ONCE SAID “ARCHITECTURE IS THE WILL OF AN EPOCH TRANSLATED INTO SPACE.” HOW DO WE BEGIN TO TRANSLATE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND RELATIONSHIP OF THIS MODERN IDEOLOGY INTO ARCHITECTURE. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PHENOMENONS AFTER BEING IN THE SAME SPACE WITH SOMEONE IS THAT YOUR SCHEDULE CHANGES BASED ON THE PERSON YOU’RE LIVING WITH; AND THERE LIES THE ESSENCE OF MY DESIGN. SPACE AND TIME ARE ALWAYS IN FLUX, IN SCIENCE AND IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR, ARCHITECTURE SHOULD ALSO BE THE SAME. I DECIDE TO FOCUS ON THE SCHEDULE OF THE OCCUPANTS’ ACTIVITIES, BUT ALSO UNDERSTAND THE FLEXIBILITY OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR. THE PROJECT IS CALLED SWIT[CH]ANGE HOUSE, MEANING, THE HOUSE ITSELF SWITCHES WITH THE ACTIVITIES IN AND OUT. SWIT[CH]ANGE HOUSE FOCUSES ON THREE ASPECTS OF ADAPTABILITY, DAILY, MONTHLY, AND YEARLY. DAILY SWITCHES COMES FROM BOTH OCCUPANTS DAY-IN-LIFE SCHEDULE AND WHEN YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT USERGROUPS WITH DIFFERENT SCHEDULES THAT DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE HOUSE IS BEING ACTIVATED. MONTHLY SWITCHES COMES DEALT WITH A LARGER SCALE OF CHANGES, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE HOUSE TURNED INTO A EVENT GATHERING SPACE. FINALLY, THE YEALY SWITCHES UNDERSTANDS THE PROCESS OF LIFE, WE EVENTUALLY GROW LARGER IN SIZE OR GROW OUT OF THE HOUSE. THE PROJECT ALSO FOCUSED ON THE CURRENT CULTURAL ISSUES THAT INCLUDES THE GROWTH OF POPULATION, THE LACK OF FULL OWNERSHIP, AND THE BLURRING EDGES OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.