step(s)

studio space - KABK INSIDE 

speculative interior
project year : 2022
location : The Hague, Netherlands
scale : 1:100




Step(s) explores how to break the cycle of basophobia (the fear of falling) by encouraging engagement and interaction with architecture, in order to reclaim confidence and trust in the body's capacity to respond to spatial contexts appropriately. Too many of our built spaces give a promise of predictability, with the nice flat floors and clear routings. We are so trained to move through the space on auto pilot we no longer need to engage with the architecture around us.

This speculative interior urges this engagement between the house and the ‘client’ by initially creating a sense of disorientation, unpredictability and instability.  

Within this atmosphere there are moments where the client must playfully engage their body and mind in order to move through the house, allowing them to over time and practice, reclaim confidence in their bodies ability to work with the built environment. 

The rooms themselves act as the rest points in the space, not comforting the phobia. However the rooms are relatively small and divided into various daily activities, encouraging the client to move through the entirety of the house, experiencing the moments of training on a daily basis.

These moments of training are created by guiding the client through various levels, slopes terrains and routings. To comprehend the visual cues in front of them, the client must engage both their body and mind. As they go through the house, they must be conscious of their next step, and must learn to move with control through the space.

This repeated exposure to their phobia, training their confidence in their bodies ability to interact and engage with the built environment can enable the client to live a functioning life afterwards upon leaving the house.






Rotterdam, Netherlands 2024