The Integration of Living and Working
within the same place
The "ideal dream" of a home office or a live-in career that several individuals of the modern world has been dreaming of has actually been integrated before in a place that a lot of us would not have thought of: the shophouses. Generally, with the first floor opened for business and the upper floor for a living, this could be considered as the integration of living and working within the same area separated by the thresholds between floors as in the public space and a private space.
Khim's Video
SS01
My research extends towards the idea of living and working within the same space and how the way the shophouse is divided into a public space and private space could save several difficulties both in terms of traveling and time management, similar to the conceptual dream of a live-in work space.
The shophouse I studied is similar to the one I have been living in for more than 10 years in terms of function and community, excluding the form of the roof. Since childhood, I have been living in the environment surrounded by shophouses and experience the community within the area, as well as knowing how the public and private space interconnects because the shophouse I lived in ran a laundry shop on the ground floor which allows me to participate in the activity of the shophouse as well.
Basing on my childhood experience, I divide the ground floor plan into three main parts:
1) The Hall
2) Under-stair Storage
3) Washing Area
The hall, being at the very front, is the public space to conduct business. The storage is mainly used to keep goods, washing machines, or sometimes shoes. The washing area is not for the laundry shop, but instead a private washing area for the residents who lived within the shophouse (the business is conducted only at the hall). The stairs, being the connection between the floors, acts as the 'linkage' between the working area (public) and the living area (private).
Basing on my childhood experience, I divide the ground floor plan into three main parts:
1) The Hall
2) Under-stair Storage
3) Washing Area
The hall, being at the very front, is the public space to conduct business. The storage is mainly used to keep goods, washing machines, or sometimes shoes. The washing area is not for the laundry shop, but instead a private washing area for the residents who lived within the shophouse (the business is conducted only at the hall). The stairs, being the connection between the floors, acts as the 'linkage' between the working area (public) and the living area (private).
The storyboard for the animation was planned according to the idea of 'living' and 'working' within the same space interconnected by stairs.
Currently, the Laundry Shop in which I used to live in since 1993 has been rented by a different owner.
However, the surrounding community still remains as it is,
almost completely unchanged from 7 years ago.
For the community and the 'communal space', the neighborhood remains to be close to one another, having the front of the shophouse and the hall area as the space for interactions.
Happyland Community Market, the place where the inhabitants of the shophouses gathers
Interview
Previous residents of a shophouse: a laundry shop
During my research, I went to interview the former workers of the laundry shop and the owner of the shophouse (the owner, in this case, is my mother) regarding their view towards living within a shop house.
"Target:
Previous owner of a shophouse with a laundry business (Female)
Previous workers of a laundry shop (2 Females, 1 Male)
Please mention some benefits of living within a shophouse.
Owner: “It’s quite lively there I guess...we live nearby one another and whenever something happens, everyone knows about it. Also, it’s like a home business...you don’t need to waste the transportation fees.”
Worker 1: “I lived there so I don’t really have a problem of traveling here and forth...the owner opens up a room for us workers to work full-time.”
Worker 2: “I like the community there. It won’t be lonely with lots of people surrounding you.”
Worker 3: “I only help out part-time so I’m not really a live-in. But it’s easy to buy goods when you are in need of them since everything was crammed into one place, like a community.”
Do you find it convenient whenever the lunch time arrives? For example, does being in a shophouse reduces the competition of rushing through your food?
Owner: “That was basically my home so yes, it’s quite convenient and comfortable.”
Worker 1: “I went to eat at a nearby market, but it’s so close that it wouldn’t even take more than 10 minutes to walk back.”
Worker 2: “I bought some food from the market to eat at my work place. We still need to get back to work in time, but it’s much less anxious than trying to go back to some place far off after you have your lunch.”
Do you prefer to live in a private house or a shophouse, if you are able to choose?
Owner: “A private house would be good, but if it’s for a live-in business or home office, then probably a shophouse.”
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