June 2013
language barrier , we creating many different events and we enjoy our time . I advise to our community to join us because Turkish Cypriots are not a lot in our Association . There is no difference between us we do not separate people we give services to all Cypriots .”
Zerrin Turgut “ I joined to Association after the new building opening , before a while ago we had getting services from other organisations but now we cooking in there , we have car services for elderly people , we do trips to see around , in this beautiful building we socialise and we making many friends too . It is important to pay more attention that what we do in there because we don ’ t separate people for us the Cyprus people are Cypriots .”
Eleni Melenau “ It hasn ’ t been long time that we join to Association , its really nice to join there we meet people we have new friend and they help us in many different areas . We call people to come around . I want to unite the Cyprus my message is to people is peace !.”
Georgia Konstantinou “ After Photo give me a call me and friend we joined to Association , I am here twice a week , we get together with Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots , we getting socialised and have chat in there . I would like to ask all Turksih and Greek Cypriots to join this club because we are all Cypriots which we mixed together for a good time and get to know eachother on a
friendly basis .
Chirstou Charalambos “ This organisation starts about 1983 , I wasn ’ t the first member but I have joined to Association within the first year , we come together we chat and socialise in our Association , also we get help and support as well . We are happy to ask both communities to come here , there is no difference we are all human and Cypriots , come join us for a good time .”
Photo Kouzoupis “ From my experience , from Cyprus an over here since 1975 in London , we don ' t have any divided line . London is open for everybody . We can get together , much more easy . Without any tragedies and we can give back the massage to cyprus that in London cypriots can live and work together . In London cypriots can live and work together and enjoy together their lives . They enjoy together the associates ' s , their services . Why not to do in Cyprus . Why that diveded line has to be there . In the Enfield Cypriot Association there Cypriots from both communities . There Turkish Cypriots which is refugees , there Greek Cypriots which is refugees because the moving of the people in the Cyprus in 1974 . They has damage Cypriots both communities . That is no good . That ' s bad . We have to change that . And I belive that , my generations has a target to bring the peace in Cyprus . So , we can live and work together in cyprus and we do it for a childeren .
Communes are intentional communities consisting of a group of people who share property , resources , common interests and ideologies . The core concerns of such communities are a non-hierarchical structure of living , sharing possessions and resources , communal economy and consensus decision-making . These communities usually choose ecological ways of living as well . Contrary to common misconceptions these communities are well-ordered and financially maintained but they are formed around different ideologies that contradict today ’ s common lifestyle . This makes them appear as ‘ extreme ’ and ‘ marginal ’ to many . The communes vary in different types as well . The ‘ glue ’ that holds a group of people together might be a certain belief , a spiritual leader , a political ideology , a life style or a desire for a more shared , sociable lifestyle . People might also choose to live together because it is more economical or more ecological . From the architectural and planning point of view , communal housing communities are made up of adjacent private ‘ homes ’ with shared facility areas that may include kitchens , dining rooms , laundries , childcare facilities , offices , gyms , guest rooms and other areas depending on the type of communal living model . Interaction between the households and neighbourhoods provides social , economic , practical and environmental benefits by sharing certain activities . My interest in Architecture began at an early age during frequent visits to my uncle ’ s Architecture & Construction Company and has been nourished by a childhood full of art and craft materials which resulted in various art competition prizes . It didn ’ t come as a surprise to anyone that I was accepted for the BA Architecture Course at the University for the Creative Arts in England right after high school . During my year-out work experience things have fallen into place for me . While working in Cyprus I became exposed to a gender equity perspective . Consequently , I became a feminist activist of YKP-fem ( New Cyprus Party – Feminism ). Yet , it was not until 3rd International Women ’ s Conference : ‘ Toward Cities for Women ’ in Diyarbakir , Turkey that my interest in merging my two pursuits , architecture and gender equity , flourished . Throughout my participation in the conference , I questioned the issues such as how gender discrimination happens in the streets and at public venues , what private and public buildings represent and who ‘ owns ’ these places , the reasons why women and LGBTTQ ( Lesbian , Gay , Bisexual , Transsexual , Transgender , Queer ) do not feel safe in some public venues or simply in the street . It was at this point that my interest in gender equity became firmly wed to my interest in town / urban planning and architecture . Right now I am a 5th year ( final year ) architecture student and during the last two years of my education , which is the period after my year out experience , I have been questioning how architecture influences spaces that reinforce or break down the domestic sphere of women and the role of planning and architecture in designing public buildings and streets , with the help of feminist ideology . Just like the Schindler house and the Narkomfin building that I mentioned last month , for my final year design thesis I proposed to break the architectural rules of
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News the traditional domestic space in order to deconstruct the domestic sphere of women . Therefore my design thesis is a study of an intentional community based on a communal way of living
Zerrin and it emerged as a reaction to gender roles inside today ’ s overly privatised , energy consuming houses which has
KABAOĞLU become commonplace as a result of the
Industrial Revolution . I followed the same ideology of Rudolf Schindler , the architect of the Schindler house , but I used a different methodology for my thesis . Therefore the design thesis became an experimental project based on study and modification of the existing Span and Bovis houses of New Ash Green , in order to create communal housing and neighbourhood prototypes . The recipe for communal living on a small housing scale is simple . First I used an existing span house model by Eric Lyons which is a traditional semi-detached rural house consisting of the typical set of spaces such as the living room , kitchen , dining room , bathroom , bedrooms and a garage . Then I used three of these houses and joined them together and merged the domestic activity area and tools into one big multifunctional shared space . In comparison with the existing three semidetached houses , the amount of basic domestic appliances such as cooker , washing machine , fridge , and toaster are reduced by 1 / 3 . Therefore , the initial outlay on equipment is less . Moreover related to this , the running costs are reduced as well . This saves each resident ’ s money . Secondly , three households will share domestic activities such as child care , cleaning and cooking . For example , if meals are communally prepared then each resident will only cook a few times a week . This saves each resident ’ s time . And finally , with the new house layout , there are two empty rooms left in each house which used to be the dining room and the kitchen . What can be done with these spaces depends on the wishes of the residents . These rooms might be used as personal creative spaces for residents of the house ; possibly a room for personal space , creativity , to produce … not a bedroom for sleeping or being intimate but a room to do stuff while we are awake . Therefore the standard house typology changes in a commune as ; the more private units consist of bedroom , bathroom , living room and personal creative room and shared units such as the kitchen , dining room and laundry room etc ... On a larger scale , it is important to consider the possibility of communities that are planned , owned and managed by the residents . The green areas between the houses might become shared outdoor areas with the same logic . So I created new tools and spaces such as long picnic tables and shared sheds as a part of the ‘ street furniture ’ for better shared use of the outdoor areas . Today , living in a cohouse is an option for those who wish to live this way . Fellowship for Intentional Community ( FIC ), a non-profit making organization in the United States , nurtures connections and cooperation among communitarians by providing publications , referrals , support services and sharing opportunities among intentional communities , eco villages and cohousing groups worldwide . However none of these communities are a part of the system . They are mostly independent mini communities that are trying to survive outside traditional systems . However these communes provide a self-conscious example of how a socialist society would function and they are the germs for the development of mass , socially complex communist communes . Socialists believe that when capitalism ends communism will came to its own . Throughout history , from the walled cities of early settlements , the castles of monarchy to detailed buildings of the Renaissance and shopping malls and private housing under today ’ s capitalist rule , architecture has played an important role at every stage of civilisation and political state . Communism will not be an exception .
Communes