services. G-Lab in Bruges, for example,
is a project by Tom Callebaut’s studio
TC Plus that combines the architect’s
family home with communal spaces for
the neighbourhood. Completed as part of
his PhD research by design, G-Lab draws
on years of experiments in architectural
‘generosity’ (the ‘g’ in G-Lab) and the
dismantling of typical designed boundaries:
inside/outside, public/private. Thus instead
of a front gate, a silvery curtain creates a fluid
barrier between the house’s front courtyard
and the street. When the curtain is open,
members of the public are welcome to enter
the garden and even parts of the interior.
Designed with varying colour schemes and
integrated furniture, rooms can be booked
for different uses such as film screenings,
meetings or social gatherings – all free of
charge. ‘I saw that people have a lot of fear
and our houses are built starting from fear:
“I don’t trust my neighbours; I’m afraid; I
want to disconnect from the world”,’ says
Callebaut. ‘I understand that in a way – it’s
not a problem to have some disconnection.
But I wanted to add another level and say
that we can also use our house to connect.’
Since its completion in mid-2018, roughly
1,500 people have visited G-Lab and,
according to Callebaut, nothing has been
broken nor stolen.
In its blurring of domestic and communal space,
G-Lab contributes to a global trend of urban ‘living
rooms’: informal spaces that can be adapted for
multiple and non-specific uses, and that can provide
a place for the communal gatherings lacking in
people’s lives. In Chengdu, central China, for example,
property developer Vanke commissioned Shanghai-
based architects Wutopia Lab to design Blue Heart,
a living room with books, seating areas and basic
cooking facilities located inside a shopping mall
(Frame 131, p. 94). With an interior characterized
by slick white shelves and a blue spiral staircase,
the project aims to provide space for local residents
whose apartment blocks are not suitable for com-
munal gatherings.
Back in Japan, we see a similar approach to
adapting pre-existing infrastructure to meet
new social requirements at the Shin-Fuji
train station. Here, an interior by CMYK
aims to turn the station into a place to spend
time, rather than to just pass through. A
staircase incorporating bench seating and
reading lamps, for example, makes for a more
pleasant waiting environment. Located in thecentre of Fuji, the station forms an integral
part of the ‘compact city’ development
model being explored in Japan to counter the
effects of an aging and declining population.
Through its refurbishment with natural tones
and soft touches, the station aims to act as a
community resource that provides more
than just transport.
Similarly, The Granville in Kilburn, north London,
is a civic centre with a ‘living room’ as its spatial
centrepiece. The project – a renovation of a
formerly cluttered church hall by RCKa architects
in collaboration with a local business trust – features
workspaces for start-ups and small businesses as well as
a community kitchen and facilities used by a children’s
charity. As announced by its brightly painted exterior
staircase, the living room is open to all. This was
poignantly illustrated in the aftermath of the Grenfell
Tower fire, when The Granville became a centre for
gathering donations and providing free meals for those
affected by the blaze.
As Anthony Staples, associate at RCKa,
points out, the role of the architect in these
community-oriented projects can often
be as much about negotiating between
different stakeholders as it is about designing
handsome hall refurbishments. ‘It’s really
satisfying to be invited in by a community
group to help them negotiate a complex
system of property ownership and funding,
and local and regional government, and then
doing a sufficiently successful job so that
they’re able to stay there in the long term after
we’ve moved on,’ he explains. ‘That’s more
gratifying than anything to do with
the design.’•THE GRANVILLE, LONDON A renovation of a London church hall
by RCKa architects in collaboration with a local business trust, The
Granville features workspaces for start-ups and small businesses as
well as a community kitchen and facilities used by a children’s charity.
As announced by its brightly painted exterior staircase, the living
room is open to all.
rcka.co.uk126 Spaces