HISTORY AND BACKGROUND SURVEY SPECIALCONCLUSION1:1PASSIVEDESIGNDESIGNIN-PERSONRESEARCHINTERVIEWSMETHODOLOGYAGGRESSIVEDESIGNSROOMPHOTOSTHANKS 6559195121217982 TABLE OF CONTENTS
THESISThespatial practice and residential developments of domestic worker accommodation in Hong Kong are both porous and isolating which reinforce social hierarchies within the household.
1 2
Examining these spatial rearrangements can reveal how domestic worker spac es are arranged based on different demographics that are intended to boost efficiency and retain hierarchical relations in households. This examination will in turn contribute to understanding domestic spatial arrangements in densely populated global cities with small apartments. While most studies of gendered space tend to use US and European domestic models or focus on HK’s public spaces, this study offers an alternative understanding of gender relations, rooted in an urban, post-colonial context in Asia. practice and residential developments of domestic worker accommodation in Hong Kong are both porous and isolating which reinforce social hierarchies within the household.
ARCTIC OCEAN ARCTIC OCEAN PACIFICOCEAN ATLANTICOCEAN OCEANINDIAN PACIFICOCEAN 60°S 45°S 30°S 15°S 0° 15°N 30°N 45°N 60°N 75°N 165°W150°W135°W120°W105°W90°W75°W60°W45°W30°W15°W0°15°E30°E45°E60°E75°E90°E105°E120°E135°E150°E165°E 60°S 45°S 30°S 15°S 0° 15°N 30°N 45°N 60°N 75°N 165°W150°W135°W120°W105°W90°W75°W60°W45°W30°W15°W0°15°E30°E45°E60°E75°E90°E105°E120°E135°E150°E165°E
This project looks at domestic labor laws and “spatial practices” (De Certeau, 1984) of migrant domestic worker (MDW) spaces in Hong Kong and their impact on the design of private housing developments.
In the late 19th century, the mui tsai system was practiced in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Southeast Asia. This practice consisted of Chinese girls from poor families were sold to affluent Chinese families to raise them as domestic servants. While there was a gradual concern for human rights during this period, the society defended this as a charitable Chinese “social custom” that was not abusive (Carroll, 2009). British elites and the wealthy were able to keep this form of labor. It was not until the 1920s when anti-mui tsai campaigners led to the abolition of this system. In the 1970s, the GDP rose 10% a year and many factories moved to the mainland; Hong Kong eventually steered away from being a consumer good to an information-based economy. The service sector hired middle-class women which led to the demand for Migrant Domestic Workers from countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. Domestic workers allowed both heads of the household to hold down jobs in the growing economy. While corporations have granted subsidies to married employees with high positions so they can hire foreign domestic workers, the women of the household are still overwhelmed with stress. This phenomenon led women to shift tasks from domestic chores to “recruiting, training, and monitoring”(Cheung, 2014) the MDWs. Examples of Migrant Domestic Worker Accommodation in Hong Kong In 2003, Hong Kong issued a law requiring domestic workers to live with their employers. From then on, residential developers have designed apartments with rooms and toilets dedicated for domestic workers typically located within the kitchen. The typology that currently exists is the kitchen followed by a utility room and a toilet. Most of these rooms are called utility/storage rooms because they do not have a window even though most of these spaces are the accommodation spaces for domestic workers. However, for apartments that do not have redesigned servant spaces, makeshift accommodations have been created within those apartments to comply with the law. As of 2018, there were approximately 385,000 migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, which represents nearly 10% of employment (Leung 2021). In 2020, the Hong Kong High Court overturned a second judicial challenge for domestic workers to live-out which emphasizes the helpers’ importance within Hong Kong society even though this aspect has been repeatedly seen as oppressive. The history and current sustainment show how deeply rooted domestic workers are in Chinese pre- and post-colonial society.
INTRODUCTION PURPOSEThespatial
This project works on two scales of research, one is a quantitative survey consisting 200 participants, while the other is a series of in-person interviews that showcase the accommodation itself. This survey was done in collaboration with a foreign domestic helper organization, called Mission for Migrant Workers. They are an entrusted organization of the migrant community that has helped them for 30 years and has done similar research studies on the accommodation of migrant domestic workers. What differentiates this study from theirs is the way in which the drawing of the floor plan is used to show the familial hierarchies. PART 1 The survey consisted of multiple choice questions ranging from subjects about their work, space, and privacy. Out of the 200 participants, there were a total of 157 respondents. 81 participants were Indonesian, while 76 participants were Filipino. The aim was to collect 100 Indonesians, and 100 Filipinos to represent the ethnic ratios in Hong Kong’s migrant worker demographics. Survey
5 6 Survey Questions Question 1: What is your nationality? a. Filipino b. Indonesian c. Thai d. Nepalese e. Sri Lankan f. Indian Question Where are your current employers from? Choose all that apply. a. Local (HK) b. Mainland China c. East Asia d. South Asia e. Africa f. Australia/NZ N. America f. Europ g. Other____________ Question 3: Are you provided a private space or a shared space as accommodation a. Private space b. Shared space Question 4: Is your room used for other purposes? a. YES (go to Question 5 b. NO (go to Question 6) Question 5: What is/are the other purposes of your accommodation a. Children’s bedroom b. Elderly’s bedroom Living Room d. Storage e Laundry f. Toilet/Kitchen g. Others: ______________ Question 6: What is the size of the private space provided for you? Measurement: twin bed .3x2.0m a. less than size of twin mattress b. size of twin mattress c size of twin mattresses d. size of twin mattresses size of 4 or more twin mattresses Question 7: What would you rate your level of privacy from scale 5? (1=low privacy, 5=high privacy) a. 1 b. 2 c. d. 4 e 5 Question 8: If you rated your privacy less than 5, what aspects of your space make you feel this way? Choose all that applies. a. Shared Space b. Cannot Lock Door c. No Walls d. Fabric Partition e. Surveillance Camera f. Other __________________ Question 9: How many people do you take care of in the address that you work? b. 1- b. 3-4 c. 5-6 d. 7+ Question 10 What are your duties you performed in the address that you work? a. Cooking b. Cleaning c. Laundry/ Ironing d. Child Care e. Elderly Care f. Others: __________________ PLEASE TURN FORM AROUND TO CONTINUE Question 11 How much time do you spend with the space you are arranged to per day? a. 0-5 Hours b. 10 Hours c. 11 15 hours d. 16 20 Hours e. 21 24 Hours
YOU
all
Quantitative Results 3.2% 1.9% 1.3% 1.3% 1.9% 6.1% Nationality 6 East Asia 10 Europe 00% N. America Mainland China 19 Africa 4 South Asia 4 Austrailia 48.4% Filipino 76 81 Indonesian Where are your current employers from? Choose all that apply. 23 41 86 117 63 56 35.7% 27 111 70.7% 43 27.4% 146 132 135 86.0% 48 30.6% 77 49.0% 21 99 116 95 35 22.4% 50 32.0% 14 9.0% 2512345 50 75 100 125 13 12 118 On scale from 1-5, how important is having private accommodation space for you as migrant domestic worker? Scale importance (1= low importance, 5= high importance) 2512345 50 75 100 125 32 21 22 24 53 What would you rate your level of privacy from scale from 1-5? Rate of Privacy 25 50 75 100 125 YESNONOT SURE 27 110 17 Did your employer remodel part of the house/apartment to accomodate you? Remodel 25 50 75 100 125 PRIVATE Are you provided private space or shared space as accomodation? SHARED 100 56 Type of Accomodation Space 25Call/TextWatch Movies/ ShowsRead/ 50WriteStudySleepEatOthers 75 100 125 150 What do you do in the space when you are RESTING? Leisure activites done in the accomodation 25CleaningLaundry/IroningCookingElderlyCareChild 50CareOthers 75 100 125 150 What are the duties you perform in the address you work? Work activites done the household 25LaundryIroning/ Folding/ HangingCookingElderlyCareChild 50CareOthers 75 100 125 150 What do you do in the accomodated space when you are WORKING? Work activites done the accomodation 25 50 75 100 125 YES Is your room used for other purposes? NO 81 75 Room for other purposes 25<11234 50 75 100 125Size of their basedaccomodation on metric ofsing bed: (Measurement: Single bed: 92 188cm) What is the size of the private space provided for you? (Measurement: Single bed: 92 188cm) 21 87 32 251-23-45-67+ 50 75 100 125 How many people do you take care of in the address that you work in? Number of people migrant worker takes care of household 14.0% 8.3% 4.5% 15.3% 40.8% 17.2% 2.6% 5.1% 3.8% 16.0% 26.3% 46.2% 5.1% 1.3% 21.0% 18.5% 54.1% 1.9% 15.3% 7.6% 5.7% 5.1% 35.0% 29.3% 27.4% 9.6% 3.2% 6.4% 12.7% 7.6% 6.4% 26.8% 15 5 10 you rated your privacy less than a 5, what aspects of your space makes you feel this way? What is/are the other purposes of your accomodation? LaundryToilet/Kitchen 42 Storage Others 12 Elderly Bedroom 20 Children’s Bedrrom None No Walls 55 Shared Space 46 Cannot Lock Doors 85 6-8 Hours 64 10+ Hours21-24 Hours 0-5 Hours No Answer 25 16-20 Hours 27 1-3 Hours Others 24 12+ Hours 6-10 Hours 72 11-15 Hours 41 Hours 22 4-6 Hours 13 7-9 Hours 24 No AnswerNoanswer3-5Hours33 9-11 Hours 29SurveilanceNone Camera 12 Fabric Partition 9 10 Living Room How much time do you spend in the space you are arranged to per day? Among the time you spend in the space you are arranged in, how much time do you spend there RESTING? Among the time you spend in the space you are arranged in, how much time do you spend there WORKING? Participant estate location
Questions 12a Among the time you spent in the space you are arranged in, how much time do you spend therea.RESTING?3-Hours b. 6-8 Hours c. 9-11 Hours d. 12+ Hours Questions 12b What do you do in the space when you are RESTING? Choose all that apply. a. Call/Text b. Watch Shows/Movies c. Read/Write d. Study e. Sleep f. Eat g. time spent in space much time do spend therea.WORKING?0Hours b. 1-3 Hours c. 4-6 Hours d. 7-9 b. 10+ do do in the space when you are WORKING? Circle and choose that apply. a. Laundry b. Ironing/Folding/Hanging Clothes c. Cooking d. Elderly Care e. Child Care f. Other_____ Did your employer remodeled a part of the house/apartment to accommodate you? a. Yes b. No c. am not sure. Question 15: On scale from 5, how important is having a private accommodation space for you as a migrant domestic worker? (1= importance, 5 high importance) a. 1 b. c. d. 4 e 5
you
Hours
Hours Questions 13b What
will be
after you have sent it. THE END
you
Other____________ Questions 13a Among the
Sample of
you
you are arranged in, how
Questions 16 Where is your accommodation located? Region and District: Please select and ircle. Hong Kong Island Central & Western/Eastern/Southern/Wan Chai Kowloon Island: Kowloon City/Kwun Tong/Sham Shui Po/Wong Tai Sin New Territories: Islands/Kwai Tsing/North/Sai Kung/Sha Tin/Tai Po/Tsuen Wan/Teun Mun/Yuen Long Name of Estate ____________________________ Flat: Floor (please circle) Top Floor/Middle Floors/Bottom Floor Questions 17 Draw/Sketch your space provided with a floor plan in the below box: Questions 18 Provide 1 pictures of the space you are arranged into along with your survey number Please send to Kristabel Chung at WhatsApp (+1 619 808 7539) or kwchung@syr.eduYoumaydeletethe text/email THANK FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION. All the information collected from the survey only used for researc
Question 14:
purposes.
METHOD
the
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Towards the end of the questionnaire they are asked to draw a floor plan of their accommodation, provide the estate of their apartment, and a couple of pictures of their space. This information is used to gather floor plans online to compare and understand the spatial practice of the apartment. These drawings have been translated using the Social Logic of space by Hillier and Julienne Hanson to generate a social logic diagram translation which abstracted the spaces and has grouped them accordingly.
KEY Maid’s EntranceRoomOpenSpace: Circulation (Hallway) Stair Open Space: Dining Room Open Space: Living Room Master KitchenBedroom Kid’s UnspecifiedRoom Bedroom Elderly Balcony/TerraceLaundryRoomKitchenToiletStorage 21 7 8 Social Logic Diagram - Example
9 10 KEY Maid’s EntranceRoomOpenSpace: Circulation (Hallway) Stair Open Space: Dining Room Open Space: Living Room Master Bedroom Kid’s UnspecifiedRoom Bedroom Elderly Balcony/TerraceLaundryRoomKitchenToiletStorage 2 5 14 25 3836 86 102 104 109 112 113 115 123 126 127 128 130131132 134 136 142 145 151 154 158 159 162 165 168 170171 177176 178 198 37 | 26.8% Utility Room (Storage, Laundry, Kitchen) SOCIAL LOGIC DIAGRAMS OF MIGRANT DOMESTIC WORKER ACCOMMODATION
11 12 3 7 912 1719 20 21 23 27 29 34 35 37 44 50 55 57 64 65 66 75 76 89 92 9598 96 99 100 140 144 152 153 191 ServantPre-DesignedSpace (Within the kitchen) 35 | 25.4%
13 14 22 24 28 48 68 103 111 118 120 124 137138 150 157 163 167 175 180193 196 197 194199200 Shared Space (Elderly, Children) 24 | 17.4%
15 16 1 6 8 13 1516 39414243 90 93 97 105 114 117 122 133 139 143 146148 160166 173 181 190 192 Private Room 28 | 20.3%
RESULTS 1074106
18
From the drawings and quantitative survey, there are 5 main types of ways the migrant domestic workers are accommodated. 1 is in a private room like any other room in the house hold (20.3%), 2. Private room in the kitchen (25.4%), 3. In a shared space with other fam ily members eg. Elderly/Children (17.4%), 4. Within a utility room (26.8%) 5. In a living/ open space (10.1%).
Open Space (Living Room, Corridor) 14 | 10.1%
Utilities (Shared Room with utilities ie. laundry, storage) 20 | 14.6% Baycrest (154) Utilities Date of Occupation 2000 Ma On Shan, NT Hoi Kung Court (10) Open Space Date of Occupation 1966 526-789 sq ft Causeway Bay, HKI Open Space (Sleep in open areas ie. living room, corridor, kitchen) 14 | 10.2%
Examples of Photographs Sent
Even though participants were asked to send photographs, only 10 participants did. However, nearly all 167 participants were willing to draw the floor plan of their apartment. This research revealed the power of drawing as a tool to preserve anonymity and confidentiality. Even though the drawings may not be accurate, drawing is a tool that allows people to disclose information without giving photographic reference that may compromise their employment. Therefore, via drawing the participant remains anonymous and allows for anyone to understand the hierarchy of the space not seen in photos. These methods of archiving space are important for future studies of space that can preserve the identity of participants especially for those in vulnerable socio-economic positions.
19 20 PART 2
The second half of this survey explores the accommoda tions visited. Employers have all renovated their house holds to better suit their own needs as well as their domes tic worker. The 3/5 households who have had a designed servant space have knocked it and have redesigned the servant space. The casting material is a way of archiving how the materials have been a part of their experience not normally visible in photographs. The casts provides a textural understanding that reveal how their spaces have deteriorated due to the labor they perform to upkeep the remainder of the household.
8 ft 5.5 ft 10 ft 4 ft 9 ft 8.2 ft 15.5 6.8 6.8 ft 5.25 ft6.5 ft 7.5 ft 8 ft 7ft 20ft
21 22 20 100 200 500 40- 60 cm 1.5 cm 80 cm 58 cm10 cm 180 125 250 cm Open up wall for entertainment Double Pane Mirror and Mosquito Net Expand into Shared Lobby Space Divide Apartment for Self Portable Brace 1.5 cm 40-60 cm 110 cm 125-250 cm Expand Apartment to Bypass Living Spaces Expand Room Laundry Locks 80 cm 10 cm58 cm 18 180cmcm 20 100 200 500 1.5 cm 80 cm 125 cm 175 cm 58 cmcm 125 250 cm Bottom Heavy Inflatable Panel Open up wall for entertainment Double Pane Mirror and Mosquito Net Expand into Shared Lobby Space Divide Apartment for Self Portable Brace 1.5 cm 110 cm 81 cm 125-250 cm Expand Apartment to Bypass Living Spaces Expand Room Laundry Locks 175 cm 80 cm 125 cm 10 cm58 cm 18 180cmcm
The application of this research has been to create a design that reflects the aver ages of the 5 typologies and create sub versive and passive-aggressive meth ods of challenging the spatial hierarchy through the architectural and furniture scale. This is first done by looking at the spatial hierarchy diagrams and creating an average amount to determine the hi erarchy, what type of programs, number of programs and where they are studied in the apartment. These resulted into 5 averaged floor plans. One might look at them as 2-3 bedroom units, but it can also be seen as how much space can a family afford to allow for their worker to have a private space.
FORM METHODOLOGY
1 2 3 4 5 6 Entrance 12432333056555 Dining Room Corridor 1Corridor 2 Living Room Kitchen Maid Room BalconyStorage BathroomMain Bedroom1 Bedroom2 BedroomMasterBathroomMaster 21 23 24
NumberPrimary EntranceSecondary EntranceLiving RoomDining RoomCorridor 1Corridor 2Corridor 3KitchenLaundryStorageStorage 2Servant SpaceStorage Servant Bathroom ServantBathroom Master Main BathroomBathroom 3Master BedroomKids RoomBedroom 1Bedroom 2Bedroom 3Bedroom 4Bedroom 5 STORAGE 14102330040202005404044000 15100023004202030000044000 38102330020404000404044000 102102000030303000300300000 112102000030303000303330000 159102030040404000404400000 165102230040404000404400000 168102200030303000300044000 170102200030303000400030000 171102000030404030300030000 161102030040404000400400000 177103020030404000404440000 178102030030404000400044000 158103200030404004404400000 198102300030404000404044000 36102330020202000444044000 86102030044404000404040000 104102000030303000303000000 109102000020303000303030000 113102330034354004404440000 115102000030303000403033000 123102330030404005404044000 127102230030404000404040000 136100020000303000000000000 145102300030303000303000000 LAUNDRY 126102230044404005404044000 130102000033003000303000000 131100230034004005404040000 132102230034004005404044000 134103230034004400400040000 154102000023303000303000000 176103020034404000404040000 151102030034004000404000000 KITCHEN 5102030030403045454044440 25102000020002030303230000 TOILET 2102030030004045404044000 142103020030004040304000000 TOTAL3707339643010642995128421431299104329451440 COUNT > 1 370341623103511291371693522892513110 COUNT T IFOTAL373737373737373737373737373737373737373737373737 COUNT > 50% TRUEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSE IF COUNT > 40% TRUEFALSETRUETRUETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSE AVERAGE1.0#DIV/0!2.12.42.83.0#DIV/0!3.03.83.45.03.54.03.54.83.74.53.73.63.83.94.04.0#DIV/0! 25 26 Spatial Hierarchy - Utilities
NumberPrimary EntranceSecondary EntranceLiving RoomDining RoomCorridor 1Corridor 2KitchenLaundryStorageStorage 2Servant SpaceBathroom Servant Bathroom Master Main BathroomBathroom 3Master BedroomBedroom 1Bedroom 2Bedroom 3Bedroom 4Bedroom 5 3102230300045040034440 7103224500076650550000 9102235400065540444600 12102200300045000333300 17102200300045030330000 19114050340040050625660 20102000300040030300000 21103324200034650555000 23102040350055430333300 27112223300034550434400 29102233344050040424400 34102230344055040444000 35102230340050040444000 37102330400050540444000 44102230340040040044400 50100020300045033333300 55102000200030000033330 57102000300020000033330 64103324200034650555000 65103024304040050555000shared with 66103324200034650555500storage 75102030340040540444000share with 76100330304040000444400laundry 89102230304033040434400 92102000300040430333000 95103324453067035535500 96112230343466034434500 98112030343056534433440 99112030340050034434400 100102000340055440333000 140102300400050434333000 144112200300040030333000 153103230300045440344444 191112032304055040434440 TOTAL347734970371045033414794691162411811512082284 COUNT > 1347322125103412913419143063033312071 COUNT T IFOTAL343434343434343434343434343434343434343434 COUNT > IF50%TRUEFALSETRUETRUETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUETRUEFALSETRUEFALSETRUETRUETRUETRUEFALSEFALSE COUNT > 40%TRUEFALSETRUETRUETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUETRUETRUETRUEFALSETRUETRUETRUETRUEFALSEFALSE AVERAGE1.01.02.32.32.83.73.14.23.74.04.34.94.93.94.03.93.53.94.14.04.0 27 28 Spatial Hierarchy - Kitchen Utilities
NumberPrimary EntranceSecondary EntranceLiving RoomDining RoomCorridor 1Corridor 2Corridor 3KitchenLaundryStorageStorage 2Servant SpaceStorage Servant Bathroom ServantBathroom Master Main BathroomBathroom 3Master BedroomKids BedroomElderly RoomBedroom 3Bedroom 4Bedroom 5 CHILDREN 13410323003000440040040000 2210332402000500654550550 2410200002000300000440400 2810020003000300403330300 6810200003000300030030330 11810223003040400040440400 13810223002300400040440400 17510220003000300030330000 18010332003000300030330300 19410323003000400040440400 19710223004000400040440400 20010230003000300030030300 4110220003000300303330000 12010032003000300333333300 ELDERLY 4810200003000400030404000 10310020003030300030003300 11110200003000300030003300 13710200003000300030303000 15010200003000300030303000 16710203003040400040044400share with 19310200003000300030003300storage 19610223004040400040004000 19910200003030400033004000 12410200003000300030003300 MAIDS 15710203003040400044040400 16310200002000304320330000 TOTAL2605032304076322090441978205361376080 COUNT > 1 2602314111026160261152361517111720 COUNT T IFOTAL2626262626262626262626262626262626262626262626 COUNT > 50% TRUEFALSETRUETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSE IF COUNT > 40% TRUEFALSETRUETRUETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUETRUETRUETRUEFALSEFALSE AVERAGE1.0#DIV/0!2.22.32.74.0#DIV/0!2.93.03.7#DIV/0!3.54.04.03.83.43.33.53.63.43.54.0#DIV/0! 29 30 Spatial Hierarchy - Shared with other Person
NumberPrimary EntranceSecondary EntranceLiving RoomDining RoomCorridor 1Corridor 2Corridor 3KitchenLaundryStorageStorage 2Servant Space Bathroom ServantBathroom Master Main BathroomBathroom 3Master BedroomBedroom 1Bedroom 2Bedroom 3Bedroom 4Bedroom 5 11020000300030430330000 61020357380050000755700 81020000300030430333300 131000200300030030330000 151000230040023000044000 161022300400040040040000 391030200303040030334000 411022000300030030330000 421023000300030030330000 431040250460030777636600 901033200440040030434000 931023456470070060655000 971022200340030030330000 1051020000300030030033000 1141020300300030030400000 1171003200000033030333000 1221032000340030030044000 1331020000200030030300000 1391020000300030030330000 1431003200400030030033000 1461020000300030030330000 1481020000300030300300000 1601030200400040030340000 1661002000300030000333000 1731020000300030030333000 1811020300300040540440000 TOTAL2604825341813773730886237577678501600 COUNT > 1 26021101442247102625221212313300 COUNT T IFOTAL26262626262626262626262626262626262626262626 COUNT > 50% TRUEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSE IF COUNT > 40% TRUEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUETRUETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSE AVERAGE1.0#DIV/0!2.32.52.44.56.53.25.33.0#DIV/0!3.43.04.63.47.03.63.43.85.3#DIV/0!#DIV/0! 31 32 Spatial Hierarchy - Personal Bedroom
NumberPrimary EntranceSecondary EntranceLiving RoomDining RoomCorridor 1Corridor 2Corridor 3KitchenLaundryStorageStorage 2Servant Space Bathroom ServantBathroom Master Main BathroomBathroom 3Master BedroomBedroom 1Bedroom 2Bedroom 3Bedroom 4Bedroom 5Patio/Balcony 1010200002000200300000000 7310200000000200000000000 7410200000000200000000000 10610220003000200303000000 10710200003000200333300000 10810200003000200000330004 11010200003000200303300000 12510230004000300003000000 15510200003020200303000000 15610200000000200000000000 16410302003030300300440000 16913230003000200000000000 17910203003000205404440000 18910220003000200302000000 1161020000000020000000000 TOTAL15331105003305032052532117110004 COUNT > 1 151154200110201501817530001 COUNT T IFOTAL1515151515151515151515151515151515151515151514 COUNT > 50% TRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSE IF COUNT > 40% TRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSETRUEFALSETRUEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSEFALSE AVERAGE1.03.02.12.52.5#DIV/0!#DIV/0!3.0#DIV/0!2.5#DIV/0!2.1#DIV/0!5.03.13.03.03.43.7#DIV/0!#DIV/0!#DIV/0!4.0 33 34 Spatial Hierarchy - Open Space
Open Space (Living Room, Corridor) 1.02.13.02.13.13.0Primary Entrance Living MasterBathroomServantKitchenRoomSpaceMainBedroom Private Room 1.02.32.43.23.43.43.63.43.8Primary Entrance Living BedroomBedroomMasterBathroomServantKitchenCorridorRoom1SpaceMainBedroom12 Shared Space (Elderly, Children) 1.02.22.32.72.93.53.43.53.63.43.5Primary Entrance Living BedroomElderlyKidsMasterBathroomServantKitchenCorridorDiningRoomRoom1SpaceMainBedroomBedroomRoom3(Optional) ServantPre-DesignedSpace (Within the kitchen) 1.02.12.42.83.03.43.53.73.73.83.8Primary Entrance Living BedroomBedroomMasterBathroomServantStorageKitchenCorridorDiningRoomRoom1SpaceMainBedroom12(Optional) Utility Room (Storage, Laundry, Kitchen) 1.02.32.32.83.14.34.94.93.93.93.53.94.1Primary Entrance Living BedroomBedroomBedroomMasterBathroomBathroomBathroomServantKitchenCorridorDiningRoomRoom1SpaceServantMasterMainBedroom123 35 36 Spatial Hierarchy - Averaged Results
37 z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z Corridor 1 z z z z z z z Space Saving Furniture Design 12 11 10 9 8 7 1 2 3 4 6 5 z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z w ake up walkdog preparebreakfastgetnewspapers (occasionally woken up to attend ward) (talktofriends) (watchsomeyoutube) (talktofamily/friends) (typicallyinkitchen,alone) am pm drink coffee cleantoilet laundry mopfloor vacumn lunchprepare eatlunch buygroceries buygroceries researchrecipesdinner preparedinner preparedinnereatdinner cleanup showerlastchores getreadytosleep tidycleanhousebed washdishes pertakecareofwardsonalhygeine am pm Daily Routine as described by Domestic Workers By examining the ways in which space-saving furniture has been used to accommodate domestic workers, through unrolling, unfolding, bending, and pulling. And understanding the majority of the day time is spent alone taking care of the home. These are deployed on the architectural scale where one can expand or reconfigure the space with the limit of twice the length of the walls. This can allow them to have autonomy and freedom over the household for a limited amount of time and exercise reign over their space
39 40 Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Translated - Utilities
41 42 Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Transformed - Utilities
43 44 Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Translated - Kitchen Utility
45 46 Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Transformed - Kitchen Utility
47 48 cm 58 cm10 cm 18 180cmcm Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Translated - Shared with Other Person
49 50 cm 58 cm10 cm 18 180cmcm Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Transformed - Shared with Other Person
Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Translated - Private Room 51 52
53 54 Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Transformed - Private Room
55 56 80 cm 125 cm Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Transformed - Open Space
57 58 80 cm 125 cm Spatial Hierarchy Floor Plan Transformed - Open Space
For employees who sleep in the living room they sometimes have to wait for their employer to finish watching TV before sleeping. This Mosquito Net box is used for sleeping in Open Space conditions, which has a double mirrored surface to projectTVfortheemployer.
PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE DESIGNS 175 cm 80 cm 125 cm Double Pane
Since many employees struggle to voice their opinions about space, the passive-aggressive act of rethinking the functions of these household objects as weapons to ensure privacy not only solves the issue but also cri tiques power dynamics in the household. In the built model, the laundry is attached to the door and acts as a lock. These furniture alterations allow for the employee to play more games of resistance during the hours when the employer is at home. It utilizes what is of importance to the employer as leverage for the employee to get pri vacy, respect, and dignity. Mirror and Mosquito
Net
The Double Mirrored surface allows for worker to have condition.expenseatlookingreflectalsotovisualprivacy,whilebeingableseebeyondherspace.Itallowsfortheemployertoontheconditionswhenatoneselfrepeatedlytheirentertainmentattheofsomeone’sliving
59 60
61 62 110 cm 81 cm 125 - 250 cm 125-250 cm
Since many employees expressed that they have unlockable doors, and most of the time they hang the family’s laundry to dry, a laundry hanger is used as a solution. A laundry hanger is mounted to the door in order to create a lock. It opens and closes as needed. When the worker is inside the room the laundry is hung and dried.
Laundry Locks
This is another solution that uses laundry as the bait. The rod is placed in the handle of the sliding door and held in tension. The laundry is hung and acts as a lock for the room. This ensures a lockable room. It leverages what is of importance to the employer to gain privacy.
This portable brace allows for workers to lock the door. It is braced on either end of the door /wall and has a piece that fits in the handle of the sliding door. This allows for workers to easily carry and hide the lock without the employer knowing.
63 1.5cm 40-60cm 1.5 cm 40-60 cm 10 cm58 cm 18 180cmcm
Portable Brace Bottom Heavy Inflatable Panel
This Bottom Heavy Inflatable Panel allows for workers to put up an inflatable partition if they don’t have complete visible and physical privacy. Therefore, when employers try to knock on it, the partition will knock back onto the employer. The furniture fights for itself and employee.
65 66 Stills from Video
67 68 Process
7. Choi, Hee Sun, Urban Marginality in Hong Kong’s Global Diaspora, Urban Marginality in Hong Kong’s Global Diaspora, 2019 <https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04642-2>
6. Cheung, Adam Ka Lok, ‘Hiring Domestic Help and Family Well-Being in Hong Kong: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis’, Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 2014 <https://doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.45.4.475
12. Hsu, Yun Hsiang, ‘Beyond Convergence: Regulating Domestic Employment in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan’, Journal of Asian Public Policy, 00.00 (2020), 1–14 <https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2020.1813064>
13. Lee, William K.M., ‘Gender Ideology and the Domestic Division of Labor in Middle-Class Chinese Families in Hong Kong’, Gender, Place and Culture, 9.3 (2002), 245–60 <https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369022000003851>
Porousness is the void of complete visual division between spaces that would lead to surveillance and lack of privacy. This can take the form of spatial arrangement via sharing spaces with other members of the household or living in the living room to objects such as fabric partitions, unlockable doors, security cameras. A surprising number of 12 participants reported that surveillance cameras were used in their accommodation. This question, among others, allowed for respondents to respond with multiple answers, therefore in some cases there is a combination of elements that have reduced the privacy of the employees beyond the architecture. This results in a blur of private and public space within the household that creates a porousness, a feeling of insecurity and lack of privacy. These objects that are not typically found in the floor plan or section still impose great spatial awareness on the subjects and their comfort within the home. Confinement is used to describe the tightness of the space and how isolating the space is compared to the other rooms. According to the survey, 55.7% of the respondents said that their accommodated spaces are only the size of a single bed. The size of the space is just one aspect of the construct. The rooms can be isolating as they are often kept hidden and deep in the kitchen of the apartment not visible to visitors. The survey revealed that 27 participants knew that their employer had renovated the apartment. The developments of domestic worker accommodations reinforces a traditional way of designing servant spaces that is antithetical to the way families accommodate their workers now. When asked about the level of privacy, a majority of the respondents said their level of privacy is very high, however, the next majority say that it is low. Many of the respondents also did not understand the question, therefore, volunteers needed to translate the term with words like: “comfortable”, “alone”, etc… Therefore, the idea of privacy may not be a common understanding known from the participants due to their background, but feeling safe in one’s space is. This research informs subversive and passive-aggressive designs on the architectural and object scales. This is first done by averaging the social logic diagrams to determine the hierarchy, number, and type of programs in the apartments into the 5 averaged typologies. By examining the ways in which space-saving furniture has been used to accommodate domestic workers, and that the majority of the day is taking care of the home alone these techniques are deployed in the architecture scale where one can expand or reconfigure the spatial hierarchy during a window of the day. The seams that create these expansions are informed by the casts of the material labor that may be unknowing to a passerby. Since many employees struggle to voice their opinions about space, the passive-aggressive act of rethinking the functions of these household objects as weapons to ensure privacy not only solves the issue but also critiques power dynamics in the household. In this case, the laundry is attached to the door and acts as a lock. These furniture alterations allow for the employee to play more games of resistance during the hours when the employer is at home. It utilizes what is of importance to the employer as leverage for the employee to get privacy, respect, and dignity.
8. De Certeau, Michel, and Michel de Certeau, Practice of Everyday Life, Practice, 1984
9. Ernst, Lauren, ‘Domestic Workers in Hong Kong : Their Stories , Self-Perception and Their Portrayal in Hong Kong and Filipino Media’, 2018 10. Evans, R., Translations from Drawing to Building, AA Documents (MIT Press, 1997) <https://books.google.com/ 11.books?id=p2ZvQgAACAAJ>Hanson,Julienne,and Hillier, Bill. The Social Logic of Space. N.p., Cambridge University Press, 1989.
1.References:Abbe, Mary, ‘Kitchen Artistry ; Designed in 1926 , the Minneapolis Institute of Arts ’ New Frankfurt Kitchen Maximized Efficiency and Hygiene .’, July, 2006, 8–11
There are 5 main types of ways the migrant domestic workers are accommodated. 1 is in a private room like any other room in the household, 2. Private room in the kitchen hidden from the remainder of the family, 3. In a shared space with other family members eg. Elderly/Children, 4. Within a utility room, 5. In a living/open space.
3. Asato, Wako, ‘Negotiating Spaces in the Labor Market: Foreign and Local Domestic Workers in HongKong’, Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 13.2 (2004), 255–74 <https://doi.org/10.1177/011719680401300206>
16. Yu, Sam Wai Kam, and Ruby Chui Man Chau, ‘The Sexual Division of Care in Mainland China and Hong Kong’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 21.4 (1997), 607–19 <https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.00104>
The in person interviews revealed that the designed servant spaces are antithetical to the way families accommodate their workers now. The spatial practice and residential developments of domestic worker accommodation in Hong Kong are both porous and isolating which reinforce social hierarchies within the household.
2. Alvin Y, ‘The Economic Success of Hong Kong : Insights from a World-System Perspective’, 29.2 (1986), 241–58
CONCLUSION
4. Boersma, Maren, ‘Filipina Domestic Workers in Hong Kong: Between Permanence and Temporariness in Everyday Life’, Current Sociology, 67.2 (2019), 273–93 <https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392118792928>
14. Leung, Hillary, ‘Here’s How Much Migrant Domestic Workers Contribute to Hong Kong’s Economy’, TIME, 2021, 15.2019–22Seng, Eunice Mei Feng. Resistant City: Histories, Maps And The Architecture Of Development. Singapore, World Scientific Publishing Company, 2020.
5. Chiara, and Kathy Mezei, The Domestic Space Reader, The Domestic Space Reader, 2012
79 80
Professor Lawrence Chua Mission for Migrant Workers SOURCE Migrant Workers who participated in Survey Migrant Workers and Employers who participated in Interview Johannie Tong Cynthia ProfessorProfessorProfessorBritneyChristineMaiAileenTellezMaiChedieCheungElmMonicaWongRebeccaLeeDennisLauSisleyChauMarilynKochKristinaBorrmanSusanHendersonProfessorLawrenceDavisProfessorNathanWilliamsJohnBryantSeanCulliganRobertWeaverAnnaWuBenWangMichaelHellerLawrenceBoyerJackSelfandRealReview Syracuse 2022 Architecture Jury and Dean Speaks SPECIAL THANKS
KRISTABELkwchung@syr.eduCHUNG
