Reimagining Urban Playground
Deluo Chen
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Barbican Communal Kitchen
As one of London's most emblematic Brutalist architectures, the Barbican is renowned for its robust and elevated concrete facade, coupled with a monumental scale. This architectural vocabulary seamlessly permeates the interior and apartment layout designs.
Critique is initiated by an examination of the standardized kitchen layout within the apartments. According to the design brief articulated by CPB (Chamberlain, Powell, and Bon), the envisaged users of the Barbican kitchen are categorized into two groups: women and bachelors.
This gender-stereotyped design intention underscores a heterosexual and patriarchal oversight of reproductive activities within domestic space. This aspect has subsequently been substantiated through a practical experiment conducted within the confines of the kitchen.