At the beginning of August, Airbnb opened a design studio named Samara. Although Samara’s future projects are not yet clearly defined, the studio does have a clearly defined initiative: to be used as a platform that builds hardware and software that promotes trust and explores attitudes on sharing. Samara’s logo is the recognizable Airbnb “A” with two small portions removed, creating a break in the letter. As the logo suggests, Samara is meant to be small yet integral part of Airbnb’s overarching goal of spreading generosity and encouraging connection.
Samara has already begun its first project, the Yoshino Cedar House. Intended to address issues of urbanization and community, the Cedar House is first and foremost a beautiful piece of architecture meant to explore “relationships between hosts and guests beyond existing notions of domesticity and ownership.” Beyond its function as a conceptual piece of art, the house hopes to build community in the rural Japanese village of Yoshino, by allowing the community to care for—and keep the profits—of the house. Lastly, the house addresses the movement of youth into the city.
The Yoshino Cedar House uses the materials found in the community to create a space where hospitality and the community’s values and ideas will be shared with strangers. Samara hopes to create a dialogue of sharing that will infiltrate all aspects of the village’s daily life. In fact, all aspects of Samara encourage community participation; each webpage ends with an invitation to contact Samara or Airbnb so that they can send you updates about their projects. Samara refuses to let hosting, being hosted, and international connection remain experiences isolated to traveling.
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