MANCAVE AND MARRIAGE
In Japanese TV series : Mada Kekkon Dekinai Otoko, the main character, an architect Shinsuke Kuwano (played by Hiroshi Abe) recommended private spaces for a couple who were pending their divorce as a solution for them. (Season 2 Episode 10)
His eccentric reasons were actually explained earlier in the 1st episode when he explained about a new house for a young couple
recommending that the house can be split
Either to house the family of the couple's child
Or to rent out half in the event of a divorce.
He prescribes the divorcing couple in episode 10 that they should live their separate lives in private rooms but unified in the same house with share common areas like living room and kitchen, always aware of the other's presence. This was because their marriage discomfort only occurred in some aspect but they both still ruled that their partners had honorable character.
An old article published by CNN about one Steve Brody a Clinical Psychologist from California who specializes in marriage counseling claims that including Man Cave in the house is important for good marriage. It should be a place to decompress so that by the weekend the man is not hiding out.
Providing space for him & her allows for husband and wife not to be obstructed in their basic desire of reinforcing themselves. Being able to exercising your believes creates individual empowerment. This way the physical commitment can attain emotional connect between both because each person is empowered by their own existence.
Just as Man Cave spaces seem to communicate teenage habits of men, while feminine Cute Zones invokes similar sentiments of the girl that didn't grow up. While many a times it seems fine for the lady but it is not right for the man.
The other aspect that the character Shinsuke Kuwano identified was that over the years the requirements of the family house changes. This is because the family evolve in many different ways such as having children, or live in children bringing in their marriage to the house, re-marrying a new partner with step children, death and divorce. In this post pandemic era, we too consider "Work from Home" and Quarantine. Space within the house hence, need to be flexible in nature. This opens up to ponder should homes have many small rooms or very few but large rooms.
Common family house life timeline is usually explained like this:
1) family founding
2) child bearing
3) child rearing
4) child launching
5) empty nest
The Timeline of the the end users is often explained like this:
a) unattached adult
b) newly married adults
c) childbearing adults
d) preschool-age children
e) school-age
children
f) teenage years
g) launching center
h) middle-aged adults
i) retired adults
Steward Brand author of the Whole Earth Catalog ask for architecture to be designed to be more adaptable over time. watch this episode.
Brand claimed that row houses of San Francisco still existing because the layout was simple and therefore adaptable instead of heroic structures like geodesic dome which required more effort to adapt.
Geodesic Dome sold on Alibaba
More simplistic and South East Asian, is the Iban Long House of Sarawak that allows the family unit to change.
Same but not the same, Long House by Dayaks that reside in Boneo where the social space is highly flexible which turns into sleeping areas. Sleeping areas involves status of life such as children who will sleep with granny, young males and young females sleep separate and fertility couple have private rooms. The family members rotate over time.
So where is the Man Cave ?
The whole thing is a Man Cave !
No television, no computers, no employment. Everything is work from home except hunting and harvesting. Most important in these South East Asian house layout, the lady is the boss.
So when you renovate your apartment in future, think carefully before you tear out rooms to give a glorious large living space, you might just be missing out on finer things like a workspace for hobby, man cave, extra person visiting (temporary or permanent).
no internet , no tv, no shopping, no employment
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