As homes have grown larger with smaller household sizes, architecture has increasingly favored private comfort over collective experience. This has begun to weaken our engagement with the public realm and fragment community life. This thesis reconsiders the role of the home, not as a self-contained retreat, but as an accessory to daily living that provides only the essentials. By shifting the traditional “living room” into shared outdoor environments, architecture can foster interaction, restore ecological balance, and cultivate a renewed appreciation for the spaces that connect us.Grounded in the disciplinary lens of functionalism and community development, this project explores how minimal housing can develop richer forms of social connection. A comparative case study analysis of historical and contemporary examples of self-built and minimalist housing reveals how necessity, rather than luxury, can inspire community engagement and pride.

Ultimately, the project proposes a model of housing that bridges architecture and sociology: one that reduces the private footprint while expanding shared community infrastructure. By designing for what is needed rather than what is desired, this thesis argues for a return to architecture’s communal role—redefining comfort as participation, and the community as our living room.