Driveway Houses
Manifest for a joyful and meaningful use of the ‘driveway’ in residential neighbourhoods
Some years ago on a trip in the Alps I passed by a lonely house in the middle of the mountainous landscape. Strangely, the house was extremely cut off from nature. It was standing on a concrete island with fences. This made me think about all the needless concrete islands our world holds. Most of them function as a stage for the house, others are just lying there between the house and the street. We call them driveways. Their function is limited to a pedestal for the car. In my opinion, it is a waste of potential space. I would like to incorporate this space as a temporary domestic space by the simple use of par-avent structures.
Markham, Ohio
The paravent has had many uses over time. We know them from bourgeoisie palaces, covered with golden decorations. We know them as panels of scrap wood that conceal the toilet pit. The paravent is the archetype of the interior enclosure and has diverse applications. Within the existing layout, the paravent creates new corners, walls and even small rooms. It is the micro-architectural act of the inhabitant.
The paravent builds a physical bridge between house and street. It organises new spatial configurations. A small spot in the sun protected from the wind, a shared garden pavilion on the border of to neighbouring plots, an extension of the garage, a playing area, a temporary front yard…The paravents’ ease and flexibility to create and occupy space contrasts with the neutrality and indifference of the typical layout of the residential street filled with driveways.
