FreiRaum

Abstract

The focus of this thesis is the everyday impact of thresholds. Questioning how much the spaces give us opportunities to retreat or to share a moment, meant understanding their layout, infrastructure or amount of exposure. Through the exploration of the quiet significance of in-between spaces, I aimed to deepen a design approach that is more inclusive and fuller of empathy. Closely tied to the topic of public and private, the centre of exploration is the ground floor, the canvas where most our informal encounters happen. Giving the already existing thresholds more importance and significance intended to go from plazas where we only walk to places where neighbours meet, linger and connect. In today’s societies, the need for more collectivity and engagement, through active or passive meetings, is high and deepens a feeling of belonging and a common identity that strengthens the functioning of a neighbourhood or a city. The aim was to find solutions and ideas on how to bring back more attention and especially care to the shared spaces already existing under our windows. This was achieved by close investigation of our existing surrounding all around Europe, by analysing impactful projects of other designers and by looking at critiques, surveys or theories of philosophers or architects. The European context also aligned with the site of the final design project: buildings from the Salomonstraße and Leipzigerstraße in Görlitz, Germany. This site offered a perfect example of how the connections between buildings, courtyards and the streets shape our perception of our environment and therefore our behaviour. How can we go from clustered gardens, separated by walls and fences, to an open and public place? How can architecture foster a sense of free thresholds, communication and a common ground, to bring together a neighbourhood?