This book presents the results of a research project and architectural proposal conducted by Dogma and Black Square into the architecture of the boarding house. This research originated from our long-standing engagement with the architecture and politics of domestic space. In recent years we have attempted to rethink domestic space (in light of its historical and present vicissitudes) through diverse projects, teaching and writing.
The opportunity to develop this specific project on the architecture of the boarding house was the product of an invitation to contribute to the British Pavilion at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale titled ‘Home Economics.' Our answer to this brief was to revisit the tradition of the boarding house as the quintessential typology for temporary habitation – a model that is neither a house nor a hotel. Our interest in this typology was motivated by its disappearance at the moment mobility and nomadic life has become the norm for many dwellers. At the exhibition in the British Pavilion the project is represented by a 1:1 model and a 60x60 cm version of this book.