The Threshold House
An Alternative Housing Typology for Young Professionals Negotiating Privacy and Openness
L.F. van der Lee (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
H.A.F. Mooij – Mentor (TU Delft - Public Building and Housing Design)
E. Karanastasi – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / AE+T)
R.S. Guis – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / A)
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Abstract
Contemporary housing for young professionals is increasingly dominated by the studio apartment, a model that prioritizes individual autonomy but often results in social isolation, spatial inefficiency, and limited adaptability to changing life patterns. At the same time, collective housing models frequently struggle to balance communal living with the need for privacy and personal control. This graduation project explores an alternative housing typology that negotiates this tension through the architectural design of thresholds.
The Threshold House proposes a collective housing model for young professionals in which privacy and openness are not treated as fixed opposites, but as spatially graduated conditions. Drawing on spatial theory, proxemics, and theories of place attachment, the project investigates how transitional spaces, such as shared corridors, semi-private zones, and collective interiors, can function as mediating devices between the individual dwelling and the collective environment. These threshold spaces enable residents to regulate visibility, access, and social interaction, supporting both autonomy and community.
The research combines theoretical analysis with architectural design research. Case studies of collective housing and historical and contemporary spatial models are analyzed to understand how boundaries, personalization, and transitional zones influence everyday use and social behavior. These insights inform the design of a housing proposal in a high-density urban context, aimed at young professionals navigating temporary and transitional phases of living.
By reframing housing as a sequence of negotiated thresholds rather than a binary division between private and public space, the project positions the Threshold House as an alternative to the conventional studio model. The proposal demonstrates how architectural design can foster social engagement without compromising individual privacy, contributing to current debates on collective living, housing typologies, and the role of architecture in shaping everyday domestic life.