digging up my old history assignments from school a long time ago, i found another interesting way of sharing spaces; once again an example from non-modern situations.

the longhouse of the land and sea dayaks, indigenous tribes in borneo, is a serial aggregation of family units – one family joined to another side by side – forming a village. the village form is a long extended house. each family is responsible for their own transverse segment of the long shared covered corridor and terrace.

the transverse segment of each family’s world is marked by subtle divisions (posts, level changes, symbolic markings) and used for different purposes by male or female members of the family or by children and animals. 

but when the community comes together for ceremonies or rituals, these long spaces temporarily exist as an ideal whole in these special events.

the continuous covered corridor and long outdoor terrace of the longhouse are at once private and shared depending on the occasion.