What can we share? A design game for developing the shared spaces in housing

Abstract

Demographic and economic changes challenge urban housing and highlight the need for resident-centred design. This paper discusses a design game created to study the perceptions towards shared spaces among solo living tenants. The game was based on the identification and weighing of significant home-related spaces, functions and services in a framework defined by a minimum dwelling complemented with optional shared facilities. It included an economic variable to simulate real-life choices. The design game provided a tool for gathering user knowledge, opened up different resident profiles, and guided the participants in explicating their preferences as well as negotiating the boundaries between shared and private spaces. This method could be utilised when developing new housing concepts or for reprogramming existing spaces.