Wednesday 4 August 2010

Dead Spaces and In-between Architecture

Last week whilst walking round London I was pleasantly surprised by this simplicity of this beautifully lit tunnel. Firstly I noticed the internal architecture of the tunnel and somehow the gently changing coloured lights made the tunnel feel safer and accessible. It is also a great example of how litter free spaces make public spaces more desirable to walk though.


On my travels I also visited the amazing 'Architects build small spaces' exhibition at the V&A. I particularly liked the In-between Architecture dwelling by Studio Mumbai Architects. An representation of one of the many 'un-authorised' dwellings built in Mumbai between buildings in unused spaces. This was an extraordinary use of an dead space to create a slim but functional home for 6 people! It felt like a childs play house simply because of the scale and maze like quality of the twisting corridors and the tiny fort like windows.


Both spaces got me thinking on how differently design can be used to make a dead spaces more functional - either through a practical need i.e. somewhere to live or an considered aesthetic approach to make someone more accessible. Does anyone have any more interesting examples?

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