We live in a digital world with camera supervision, phone’s that trace us and companies that collect all our data. This won’t stop but accelerate in my future scenario. Until the whole world is connected, watched and mapped in the digital world. The white spots will disappear in the black, online world map.

However the call to quit the online world also gets louder. Some people have a strong feeling of nostalgia for the past era. Is there a way to disconnect and to get offline in the busy and connected city?

There are different ways to keep signals and networks out. From a thick layer of concrete to energy efficient windows and copper sheets. The blind façade blocks out all the signals and quite literally disconnects from the digital world. The dwellings have a view on the shared courtyard that also allows light to enter. 

What would it mean to live in an offline house? There would be more time to spend on a study, hobby, family, friends and loved ones. This calls for a broader amount of room typologies. New functions or rather a revival of past functions like the sitting room, dining room, salon and study. 

Every dwelling has the main rooms like the dining and sitting room. Combined with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and storage. The other rooms can be furnished according to the households needs. Like a study to read, atelier to work, another sitting room to pull back and bedrooms for quests or extra family members. 

What does this offline world look like in the online and digital future? 

The demand for offline houses will keep growing in a world were both the digital and physical is taken by large companies. These companies watch over and track every move made by the citizens. Like big brother with an army of the Internet of things. Leaving the citizens to pull back in their own offline zone’s and buildings. 

The residents of these offline buildings blocks could form an offline community. With their own commercial and public functions like the library, theatre, cinema, art gallery, cafe and restaurant. The local newspaper will play an important role as the main source for next week’s events and latest news. 

I imagined this new future in the current city center of Amsterdam where the offline community will hide away from the privatised and watched public spaces to create their own world in closed building blocks that purely focus on whats happening inside or behind the walls.