Hi-Low : new semi public space in the high-rise

Abstract

There has been a desire for new and unique design/environment such as by returning to the designs of Korean classic style, inviting star architects or holding international competitions. But, the reality of their design does not really express any new voice. Typical floor -plan is multiplied in vertical, served three or four units, connected by weird mirror-surrounded elevators and emergency stairs. Small and narrow corridors cannot really offer any proper space for social interaction. Let's talk more about the inside of an apartment housing complex. First of all, even though there is trash in front of the apartment building, nobody picks it up until the cleaning woman does something. This is the irony of high-rise apartment housing. No one wants to behave as if they own the place. After parking their cars in the lot, people try to go to their private space as soon as possible, before they meet someone. That's why the elevator hallway or inside of the elevator is the most uncomfortable space in the apartment building. There is no longer any kind of classic alley as in old villages which was a buffer area between public and private space. Without a buffer, combination of public and private space, there are just two extremely different areas, public and private spaces in apartment complexes. The thesis proposes a high-rise residential building by means of rethinking circulation and infrastructure. This new type of a high-rise residential building enables residents to have a buffer zone between public and private space with a specific elements such as a elevator, a stair, or more than that. This buffer zone in high-rise building helps to activate a semi-public space as a real neighbor.