Courtyards

The entry courtyards of the West Kentish Town estate blocks are private spaces for communities of residents. They integrate small access galleries, main stairs and landings and the courtyard floor, forming an inner world for residents that’s open to the sky and also provides shelter. It relates residents to neighbours through common areas that set up an appropriate “distance” from the street. While the building is basic, the assemblage of minor spaces facilitates the inner society of the block.  Framing the sky creates an authentic ground and rubbish disposal doesn’t occur in the space: rubbish is taken outside in a ritual of joint respect.