Balancing Communities
Date: Feb 14
Course: Design Studio 7
Organizations like AirBnb, Couchsurfing, Behomm and idealista have changed our lifestyles and our expectations as both hosts and guests. These organizations morph into different forms depending on the culture and society they encounter. Taking these concepts to Cairo we find that we do not have a culture of sharing our homes with tourists, nor do the tourists visiting Egypt have diversity in accomodation options. They are often restricted to tourist busses and packaged trips to an Egypt that no longer represents the contemporary culture, making it difficult for tourists to connect with locals. This project attempts to provide a mutual exchange between locals and tourists. Encouraging locals to move out of their parents’ homes to gain independence and explore their individuality, financing it by providing accomodation for tourists accompanied by genuine local experiences and friendships.
The idea is a series of spaces predominantly belonging to locals who host one or more guests with the option of opening up access to neighbours doing the same, allowing both to co-host and therefore expanding the community. By using central visual axis in each unit and courtyards which offset spaces from others it allows multiple layers of co-existance.
