Proxemics as Methodology
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed an inequality of space as capitalism drives low-income groups to housing not suitable for “stay-at-home” situations. Thus, we are proposing a mass customizable affordable housing based on the study of proxemics, built on leftover plots in the city. Proxemics are the study of interpersonal space and its relation to human behaviour and social interaction. Different cultural groups prefer different distances between them for private to social settings, dividing them into contact and non-contact groups.

During Covid-19, a new proxemics of social distancing (6ft apart) was imposed and thus saw different cultures reacting to it differently. Some cultures adapted to it, repurposing streets to incorporate further-distance social interactions. However, other cultures struggled to cope and it was largely due to the constraints of their spaces of quarantine in high-density cities.

Multiculturalism on Site: Repurpose Leftover Space
Our post-pandemic housing aims to provide a dynamic buffer space for social distancing while still encouraging social interaction tailored to different cultures. Vancouver, Canada is one of the most multicultural cities in the world with over 50% of the residents being from migrant backgrounds. They live in mid-rise apartments which are under threat of eviction from escalating land prices and developmental pressure. Therefore, our scheme takes advantage of the leftover amenity lanes along the linear Metroline train station; repurposing rather than participating in the demolition of homes.

Creating New Datum of Public Life
We create a transit-oriented linear block by using a methodology that incorporates the percentage of household sizes and culture groups on site to design a variety of household configurations from simple room units. The walls, doors and windows allow for varying visual privacy and opportunities for chance contact. They form blocks of communities placed on an elevated datum of public space with ramps and sky bridges connecting them to the station and surrounding context. A double-skin façade is placed facing the station to create a noise barrier that doubles as circulation space. Voids are punctured through the block connected to a secondary circulation that functions as a social corridor facing the neighbourhood on site. All circulation corridors are naturally-ventilated and living spaces are daylit, reducing the time spent in enclosed spaces and transmission possibilities.

Our proposed scheme is a marriage of affordable housing, infrastructure and recreation, matching synergized elements from each to provide an alternative way of living in a post-pandemic world.