My House is Your House: Toward a New Composition of Living and Working in the City

Abstract

This thesis investigates the housing accommodation that combines living with working, commonly referred to today as “live/work.” Expanding on the notion of living and working beyond its literal interpretation as live/work, this thesis argues that it is both a dwelling condition and a building type that has been central to the evolution of domestic space. Continuing the tradition of typological design, this thesis analyses four case studies to understand how living and working has historically been negotiated and translated into domestic space. Today, radical technological changes have ironically allowed us to return to earlier dwelling principles. Yet, the current urban live/work model is devoid of any sense of social reciprocity. Therefore, this thesis argues that urban housing should be considered a cooperative structure in which it is possible to live and work in situ, where reproductive labour can be socialized beyond the family, and productive work can become civic engagement.