The space I chose is one of the
freshmen dormitories on Pratt’s Campus. The Cannoneer court is designed in the
most efficient way possible. In that there are two sides to the dorm, one
mainly for the girl population and the other for the male. Both sides have
access to the other side through the main lounge, workroom, and the lobby. Upon
entering the Cann (as we call it) one will turn left, turn right, or walk up the
stairs to the next level. In this journal entry, we will be focusing on the
second floor of the Cann, particularly the girl’s side of the hall and the
spaces that intersect the hall. With 22 rooms down one hall, there are
approximately 44 girls living on one side of the second floor. These girls all
share one bathroom at the end of the hall and a workroom along with a main
lounge with the whole building.
Through the spatial organization,
one can infer that there are only two directions to go to. One is to the
communal restroom and the workroom, while the other is to the lounge and exit.
Through this organization, there is no other space for the residents to wander
off too. The narrow path down the hall suggests that it is not a place for
communication. The horizontal pathway only allows two directional movements. If
one must communicate in a comfortable manner, it can be done through the
workroom or the lounge, which are on either ends of the hall. In this hall,
there are many rooms. Each room is spaced approximately five to ten feet away
from each other and is accessible only through the doors in the hallway. The
placement of each door not only allows for each person to have equal amounts of
space within the vicinity of the room, but it also exacts control over the
residence. This idea is similar to Focault’s theory on how repetition and partitioning
will break down collective dispositions and create useful space, as well as
create equal standing among all. No one person has power over another. The
shared lounge space and workspace are to encourage communication between those
that live in the same building. Although communal restrooms are an
inconvenience, it promotes communication because of the forced interaction with
your neighbors. This enables freshmen students to create strong bonds with
those who live in the same floor. With so many students living in the same
hall, security is definitely a concern. Each door is equipped with its own lock
system. Similar to Focault’s discussion about Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, the
lock system, even if it is not actually in use, act as a barrier between the
shared space and personal space. It provides legible boundaries, in the sense
that not one person will enter another’s room, even if they know that no one is
occupying the room at the moment.
There is a blind trust between those who live in the same place and
share the same space. Residential advisors live on either end of the halls.
This employs the idea of ranks to keep the population in control when needed.
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