this fair companies video focuses on patrick kennedy's san francisco small housing project. it is full of clever findings and implementations that are specific to the way people live in the city. there are texting communal washers and dryers, space conscious bike parking, and digital package delivery storage. what really struck a chord with me was kennedy's mention of his wife accusing him of "trying to manipulate people".
ok. so it sounds bad, but kennedy is simply trying to influence people to move toward what he believes are positive choices. kennedy hopes he has created "sticky" common areas that encourage residents to stay for a while and be social. he makes the common area seating a bit uncomfortable in order to get people to move around a bit. there are no outlets in this area in order to encourage personal interaction. there is no parking for the building, but there is a heated uber bench and screens showing realtime transportation schedules and locations.
kennedy got me thinking about the ways that i have made choices in our space in order to manipulate (or encourage) :) the outcomes i desire for our family. we deliberately chose a smaller home to encourage closer proximity and decreased isolation. there are no televisions in the bedrooms...or main living area. seating is set up so that computer screens face others to decrease temptation/increase accountability. homeschooling takes place at the kitchen table which is in close proximity to both kitchen and living room to discourage procrastination. floors once left spacious to encourage somersaults and playmobil set ups remain so to encourage congregating for movies or sprawling to chat. i always choose a couch for seating, because i want to be able to snuggle with a daughter or two for a story or homework help...or with my partner for a movie. lighting is placed for reading, and a spot for a cuppa is always considered.
spatial manipulation is such an interesting concept to me. i feel like it has enhanced capabilities in smaller spaces. i'd love to hear your thoughts. :)
love,
jane
ok. so it sounds bad, but kennedy is simply trying to influence people to move toward what he believes are positive choices. kennedy hopes he has created "sticky" common areas that encourage residents to stay for a while and be social. he makes the common area seating a bit uncomfortable in order to get people to move around a bit. there are no outlets in this area in order to encourage personal interaction. there is no parking for the building, but there is a heated uber bench and screens showing realtime transportation schedules and locations.
kennedy got me thinking about the ways that i have made choices in our space in order to manipulate (or encourage) :) the outcomes i desire for our family. we deliberately chose a smaller home to encourage closer proximity and decreased isolation. there are no televisions in the bedrooms...or main living area. seating is set up so that computer screens face others to decrease temptation/increase accountability. homeschooling takes place at the kitchen table which is in close proximity to both kitchen and living room to discourage procrastination. floors once left spacious to encourage somersaults and playmobil set ups remain so to encourage congregating for movies or sprawling to chat. i always choose a couch for seating, because i want to be able to snuggle with a daughter or two for a story or homework help...or with my partner for a movie. lighting is placed for reading, and a spot for a cuppa is always considered.
spatial manipulation is such an interesting concept to me. i feel like it has enhanced capabilities in smaller spaces. i'd love to hear your thoughts. :)
love,
jane
