The not-so-open open plan – A feminist critique of the typical Danish interior

Abstract

The spatial planning of present-day housing in Denmark is formed by social conventions and market forces that predominantly rely on objective values. Developed from previous housing models, Danish multi-story housing, and its typical interior, today has left behind true diversity, use-value, bodily pleasures, and a broader notion of openness. By analyzing a typical Danish case this study discusses how today’s concept of open plan living is in fact not-so-open. It argues that marketized housing and its open plan interior logic, displayed in repetitive and optimized floorplans, for stereotypical users, is no longer appropriate in contemporary society. To support the development of a more nuanced architectural logic for interiors today, the paper interrogates the concept of domesticity and spatial practice from a feminist perspective, and review in what ways the growing body of knowledge produced by feminist thinkers can challenge conventions in housing design cultures. By employing a feminist perspective and highlighting prosperous aspects in specific contemporary design practices in Zürich and London, this paper aims to highlight what agencies architects and users can reclaim to improve the typical Danish interior beyond the so-called open plan.