A Dysfunctional House for Frictionful Living
Karen Villacis
2025
FRICTIONSCAPE is a project that aims to dismantle our preconceptions of what a corridor is and its function in the domestic sphere. The project uses Robin Hood Gardens, a failed domestic project attempting to reimagine the corridor, as its main subject. Through the means of recomposition, FRICTIONSCAPE creates clusters of domestic space organized in a horizontal plane, instead of the typical stacking organization architects constantly repeat. In addition, the project is conceptualized as one that never ends. In fact, the domestic realm created by these kit of parts can be reconfigured over and over again.
The project also makes a statement for collective living. Kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, etc are arranged next to each other to pool resources. In this domestic realm, corridors do not necessarily cease to exist. Instead, the corridor now exists within the kitchen or the bathroom, using domestic activities as the vehicle/backdrop for circulation. In doing so, inhabitants, or family members, are encouraged to face the friction created by living with one another.