Home and Care, (Intimately) Interwoven

The project focuses on the loss of autonomy and intimacy a person experiences after a sudden medical incident that leaves them disabled, such as a stroke. This new dependency particularly affects individuals who exist outside of the normative family structures and depend on alternative forms of kinship.

The movie Deux, where two women in their 60's, Nina and Madelaine, who live in the same apartment building, have a secret relationship for decades, inspires the project. After Madelaine has a stroke, she loses mobility and speech; Nina's willingness to take care of her partner is denied, their relationship having to remain secret.

The two individuals with decisional power over Madelaine, her daughter and her caregiver, lack a close bond with her and deny Ninas access to her side. Moreover, this is reinforced by their lack of willingness to grant Madelaine any form of autonomy. Even if she's unable to speak, she can still move, nod, express her desires... But even if this is seen by the people surrounding her, they refuse to take her agency into account. Autonomy is a crucial aspect in a relationship of dependency.

Many stroke survivors face moderate-to-severe impairments requiring specialized care, often provided by family, home care workers, or in-patient facilities. During the process of recovery, these institutions often infringe on the privacy of the person who is cared for. The lack of autonomy is a common occurrence in situations of care and is detrimental to rehabilitation; nonetheless, care workers and social support are necessary during rehabilitation.

In the chronic stage of recovery, most people still require occasional support and assistance for frequent medical appointments, but are often able and willing to live as independently as possible. However, travelling can be challenging. The center of Zurich has few places for recovery therapies, their access can be a challenging part of the rehabilitation process. Easy access to medical facilities is therefore essential to support autonomy and reduce reliance on family members or care workers.

Located within the city's dense fabric, the project aspires to unite essential spaces for recovery and housing within a singular entity. Considering its central location, the possibility to not be seen, the opacity of a building for vulnerable people, is an essential point of consideration. The façade of the building, reusing most of the existing structure, becomes a protective skin, blurring the understanding of the interior functions. A unique entrance for the housing and the medical facilities gives a sense of privacy, the external gaze unable to understand the purpose of the visits.

A central opening is made in the existing structure, creating a private exterior space and circulation for the inhabitants, that lead to individual apartments. These units can be connected in dual clusters, which create more private and flexible opportunities for care to take place inside the home, easily allowing privacy and secrecy. In contexts of dependency and care, flexibility and opacity give space for more agency, especially allowing intimate relationships, in their many forms, to expand and thrive.

Project by: Varvara Sulema

Teaching team: Anna Puigjaner, Dafni Retzepi, Ethel Baraona Pohl, Pol Esteve Castelló, Lisa Maillard, He Shen, He Yufei. In collaboration with BUK

Master Thesis: Spring 2025