Solo Housing

Tussen Ruimte was an office started by Lidewij Tummers, an architect who explicitly defines her practice as feminist. Her project, SOLO Housing is a low-budget housing scheme for single people, Tummers started from the idea that singles aren’t alone all the time. So instead of creating a miniature standard dwelling with a kitchen-diner and bedroom, the home is separated in three spaces that are articulated in a way that allows them to be separated or connected as privacy needs dictate. This meant that the inhabitant could, for example, sleep children from a former marriage, receive clients and work at home, have a party or use the dwelling in a ‘classical way’ without disturbing private space or having to improvise complicated arrangements. People have guests or they have long-distance relationships and, the temporary users of the house don't need the same things as the permanent user a room that is only used two weeks a year.This floor plan broke with the classical image of single people being either (undemanding) students or (care-dependent) senior citizens. The idea was to depart from this nuclear family box housing, and typical process of home ownership, where you buy a plot and put your catalog house on it. With SOLO housing, other ways of building and living are proposed, where single people, and inevitably, women are revalued as possible owners or tenants.