Charissa Chen, In—Between: The Notion of Waiting [×]

The act of waiting is part of our everyday and a derivative of the service offering in the hospitality industry. In our society and culture, which prioritises the value of productivity, waiting is often seen as a passive moment of doing nothing. Waiting is experienced differently, often both positively and negatively.
The current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a slowness to our pace of life. It has enhanced this transient moment of time, with the observation of social distancing and limitation of capacities within venues. This has created a shift in our experience of hospitality. This project is situated within the commercial context to bridge our social experiences and re-imagine our lives adapting to this new normal.
Degraves Street through to Centre Place is a key part of Melbourne’s hospitality experience. The cafes, restaurants, and shops which line the laneway, fill it with the bustling of life. The project aims to re-activate this iconic laneway through the design of a façade system that intervenes into the thresholds and storefronts of its existing hospitality venues. It seeks to explore the transitional spaces of waiting between the interior and exterior, prompting the question: how can spatial interventions facilitate the act of waiting in our everyday?
The design of the façade system explores the concept of a kit-of-parts through joinery design and materiality. With a primary focus on takeaway services, this series of hinged panels pushes in and out of the stores, expanding the densely populated and narrow laneway. It aims to respond to the nature of the site and explore the notion of waiting through its nuanced details. Thus, it creates an opportunity for unprescribed experiences to occur, offering a narrative of the in—between.