Unfolding family

In our case study, Deborah Levy contemplates the role of the mother in our society. She feels that it was expected of her to be a homemaker and to put her own needs in the back seat. Deborah Levy, the central figure in our case study, spent two decades of her life married to her husband, taking on the role of a wife and mother to her two daughters.

However, following her divorce and as her teenage daughters grew more self-reliant, her situation alters completely. She suddenly finds herself in an entirely unfamiliar environment, navigating new dynamics of care and responsibility. Not only did she leave her marriage, but she also moved into a smaller apartment. This transformation in family care dynamics and her move into a new living situation became the focal points of our study.

In Schwamendingen, we looked at single mothers in the late stages of reproductive care, where their children were gaining independence and starting to move out. This neighbourhood is characterised by residential spaces, most of them designed for nuclear family structures. Any other institutional forms of living are not provided. With our project, we aim to offer an alternate way of living for mothers in the late reproductive stage. A space that offers you the possibility of filling up your table with people that might not be your nuclear family but can equally be your family.

The intimacy that you usually find in your domestic space is now being shifted to a shared bath, that offers the residents intimacy and closeness, as well as a quiet place to take care of yourself. In the sense of care, sharing the act of bathing gives it a newimportance. Inspired by the bathing culture of Japan, the space gives the opportunity of consciously taking care of your mind and body. A place to coexist, with no other activity or consumption taking place.

Project by: Livia Ruckstuhl, Stella Meister, Vivienne Yao

Teaching team: Anna Puigjaner, Jo Baan, Lisa Maillard, Luis Úrculo, Pol Esteve Castelló, He Shen

Design Studio: Autumn 2023