Sten Vendik
- Faculty of Architecture
- Architecture and Urban Design
- MA
- Solitude in the city
- Tutor: Katrin Koov, Kadri Klementi, Eik Hermann
Everyone needs to be alone from time to time. It’s like helping yourself in moments when you need to rest, press the off button, be away. Through being alone we control our well-being and beliefs. It’s inevitable that modern lifestyle and habits have begun to diminish the value of being alone. The number of exhausted and overworked companions around us is increasing. Fatigue often ends in burning out or depression which in turn produces alienated and lonely individuals. Thus, loneliness seems to be placed in today’s context as a negative phenomenon exacerbated by the social isolation caused by the pandemic.
This master’s thesis proves that there is a lot of positivity in solitude and it’s spectrum has many different aspects. Many studies emphasize that being alone can be a tool for fighting stress and restoring emotional balance. It develops creativity and makes you feel better. Even more, being alone helps to connect with other people in a more meaningful way because personal and social happiness are always linked.
The spaces of solitude are different. To a large extent, our personal experience is a prerequisite for how we define solitude in a space. For example, a suitable environment for being alone is nature, which helps to restore attention or offer enchanting views. In architecture, solitude is an intangible quality created through various nuances – materials, light, acoustics, etc. In these places, we let the mind wander freely and not be bothered by consumption.
This project unfolds in the public space of Tallinn. It is the heart of the city that lacks quieter and more intimate places that would balance the over-enriched urban environment. Public space has a number of important functions. In addition to a sense of security, the city should offer opportunities for relaxation – between the artificial there should be room for nature, which softly embraces us. The space of being alone is like healing acupuncture – a provider of balance in this fast-paced world.
