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To grasp the fundamental ideas that will be discussed here, we must go back to Modernity and address the clearly defined space it brought with itself. The notions of Modernity lead to the significant example of Maison Domino, and this dissertation, examines its elements in three categories: pillars, floors and stairs. It continues by calling attention to “Polykatoikia”, which is the dominant typology in Athens. Currently, the debates in Athens discuss that there should be new discoveries on the possibilities of the typology. That is because it is a typology that evolved constantly, and that it was originated in 1920s from the Maison Domino, a flexible structure. Along with a crowded background of related events which had brought polykatoikia to the evolved position it is today, we can see glances of that, which provides its flexibility and makes it possible that this idea of Modernity can fit itself in the Mediterranean as well. This concluded by blurring the defined space that Modernity offered, by proposing “gradient spaces”. Later, it is discussed that the city grew out of this small scale typological element; polykatoikia, since it made the self-building possible. The bottom-up informal planning of the city provided a city of repetition, and the scarcity of public space. These aspects are interpreted through the book of Mark Pimlott: “Public Interior as an Idea and Project”. There are six interventions which indicates the evolution of polykatoikia as an example of gradient spaces; and the scarcity of public spaces in Athens. In Pimlott’s book, he points out that the term public interior is these ideas appear in architecture, of those interiors that we take to be public: those within which we consider ourselves to be free individuals, and where we see ourselves among others; the within which we are conscious of our place in society, and in the world. The public interior as we recognize it emerged in Modernity as a response to modern state with its specialized organization of functions as a response to the phenomenon of metropolis. These restrictive interior such as hospitals and prisons, have been models for those that seem like their opposites. In this dissertation, the gradient spaces are discerned as public interiors as well. The methodology is graphic storytelling, and uses the story of Macbeth as a groundwork to start with. There are many interpretations of the play as well; one of which is “Sleep No More”, that shows the play of Macbeth is related with the multiple interiors, which had been an inspiration. Presenting public interiors as: organizing principles, display, control, thematic; building types, have also been inserted into the story. The time-dependence of the story is making the methodology an example of repetition and a response to the current debate in Athens, which is the scarcity of public spaces. Macbeth had provided a suitable groundwork of psychological characters, in which the ideas of control in the city and interiors, authority, free individuals and collectivity could be juxtaposed; which were the main ideas in Pimlott’s book. Like this, the ideas of repetition, difference, time, informality, polykatoikia, event, possibility, gradient space, Mark Pimlott’s book: “Public Interior as Idea and Project”; melts together within and through the book of Macbeth(f.).

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The term ‘common’ originates from the concept of shared farmlands and forests. They were spaces that could be used by all members of society for individual or collective benefit. Today, we do not need places to graze livestock or collect firewood anymore. As we live in a climate of crisis, of environmental and social catastrophes, our superdiverse and urbanized society is looking for new forms of meeting places. The world is in need of spaces where people of different backgrounds can meet and feel safe and welcome. A contemporary common, as it were. A place where you can appropriate your spot, by moving your chair before you sit on it, dipping your feet in the water, placing your cup of coffee next to you on the stairs,... and when you’re done, leave it for the next person to do the exact same things. The role of architecture and urbanism is changing. There is a need to design sustainable buildings for an unknown future. Buildings where the structure, circulation and urban elements are reusable and the program is temporary. Existing infrastructures could be the starting point for these kind of interventions. Vacancy and under-utilization of available spaces are still well-known problems in the cities; known to attract vandalism and crime and increase the feeling of insecurity. Cities around the world are going through a mobility shift. In particular, the position of the car in the city center is being questioned. There is a possibility that cars would be banned. If that is the case, a large number of parking lots would become vacant. The question arises: How could these redundant infrastructures be used as this highly needed contemporary common? This thesis is a study on the contemporary common. It began in the city of Berlin, where the subjects of -vacancy- and -the mobility shift- were explored. Parking lots could become redundant spaces. In order to better understand the typology of the parking lot, a proxy was chosen in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Strategies for the entrance, circulation, scale, seating and activities were tested on this case study. By identifying the qualities of the building and highlighting them, the way people approach, enter, circulate through, and use the building is changed.

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Exploring kiosks as human scale urban devices in the city of Nowa Huta, if and how they are functioning as micro public spaces. By researching the phenomenological forms of kiosks, discovering how they act as an interface between private and public realms and how they are a possible densification of public life. How the kiosks could play a role in Krakow as cultural capital of Europe by 2030, in line with the cultural development strategy for Nowa Huta as a cultural park. Nowa Huta (“New Steelworks”) is a district of Kraków, Poland, which was built in 1949 as a model socialist city and as housing for workers and their families based on the principles of social realism. In tandem with the new town, there was the construction of a massive new Steelworks east of the new town. One of the most striking features of Nowa Huta’s architectu-re is its monumental scale. The buildings are massive and austere, built to impress. The streets are wide and straight, lined with large apartment blocks and public buildings. The presence of small urban devices known as kiosks stands in contrast to the anonymous building blocks within the urban environment of the city. The initial blueprints for Nowa Huta incorpo-rated state-organized retail functions within the ground floor of apartment block ensembles. However, as the need for space to handle the circulation of daily supplies grew, kiosks were introduced to the streetscape. These smaller, more flexible structures provided a smaller scale solution to meet the evolving retail demands of the community. Functioning as the interface between the private and public realms, kiosks can function as a possible meeting point for the residents in Nowa Huta and a condensor of public space. Functioning as a micro public space, kiosks are with many, distributed thoughout the city where exchanges can take place between a various group of people. The kiosk as a low treshol space, serving as an unpredictable meeting point for strangers or a gathering spot for a group of like-minded people and everyone in between. At both the local level in Nowa Huta and globally, the closure of a growing number of kiosks without viable prospects for the future has become a common trend. The kiosks in Nowa Huta have 12 out of approximately 100 that remain vacant or unused. The objective of this research is to illustrate the significance of kiosks in the city of Nowa Huta, Poland as part of Krakow 2030 goals. These objectives envision the transformation of Nowa Huta into a cultural park, accompanied by the establishment of a walking trail that traverses the city. The research encompasses three distinct case studies conducted in Nowa Huta, focusing on exploring the phenomenological aspects of kiosks and analyzing their spatial potential. The second facet of the research delves into the future vision of kiosks, examining their potential significance within the context of the Krakow 2030 objectives. This aspect involves proposing small-scale interventions that have the potential to create a substantial impact on the use of kiosks. - How can the study of Nowa Huta’s kiosks influence architectural interventions in the city and beyond? - In what way are these kiosks functioning or can they function as a micro-public space? - Can we see kiosks as a densifier of public space? - Does a kiosk function as the interface between the private and public realm?

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Throughout the history, living and working have always been inseparably connected with each other. However, this strong relation has been weakened since the second half of the twentieth century. Today, life at large is more mobile, precarious and not containable within rigid typologies. Therefore, the relation between living and working has to be updated to the twenty first century regarding the combination of different functions, the sharing of common spaces, a centralized energy supply, public infrastructure, etc. This also reflects onto the case of Merksem. This re-inforcement of of the weakend relationship between living and working is relfected into a mixed-use model, the architectural ensemble.

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Self-Sufficient Sovereignty is the outcome of researches and reflections about the current condition of San Marino. This small nation enclaved in Italy struggles to survive since the economic crisis of 2008, and the situation is still so critical today that an upcoming financial disaster could lead the country to bankrupt. Combined to a lack of visual distinctiveness and an important reliance on Italy, it brings the reasoning to the question of identity: is it still relevant to consider San Marino as a country? Should it be annexed to Italy? Should it be sold as luxury properties? Or should San Marino be more self-sufficient, in order to have enough resources to face the coming disasters? Following a methodology developed by the respective works of Athanasius Kircher (Babel’s tower) and Wendy Brown (“Walled States, Waning Sovereignty”), this master dissertation aims to explore a scenario where San Marino would become self-sufficient at 100 %. To be able to reach this goal, the research concentrates on three main issues: the lack of public space, the energetic independence and the infrastructures developed as public space. This triple goal led to the proposal of two hydro-electric dams, designed as the missing link between two important public spaces : the historical city of San Marino and the biggest natural park of the state: the Parco di Montecerreto.