Abstract:
This thesis explores the influence of culture on the perception of privacy, which in turn contributes towards the diversification of dwelling forms. Privacy is the essence of our dwelling; it is the quality that compels us to seclude ourselves from others when necessary, yet guides us to voluntary communality whenever desired. It is a quality all cultures are sensitive to. However, different cultures perceive privacy in different ways, according to Ozaki. Taking traditional Japanese culture as a representation of the East and New Zealand as a model of the West, it will be evident that both contrasting cultures have very differing perception of privacy. This is clearly reflected in the dwellings within their culture. In an intra-dwelling context, the collectivistic Japanese puts familial togetherness above personal privacy, which is in contrast with the Kiwis who highly value their personal privacy in an individualistic culture. This contributes towards the openness of traditional Japanese homes on one hand, and the compartmentalization of New Zealand houses on the other. In an inter-dwelling scenario, Japanese houses are often closed off from the public to ensure familial privacy while the Kiwi are willing to open their houses towards the streetscape. That is speaking traditionally. Cultural revolution, however, has altered the way in which these cultures perceive privacy in their contemporary homes. With that hypothesis, this thesis proposes an East-West housing community in Auckland as a vehicle to test the notion of cultural influence on the perception of privacy. This housing typology looks into the notion of 'in-betweenness' as a design proposition accommodating the differing perceptions of privacy of Eastern and Western society.