In Georgian, ეზო (ezo) means “courtyard.” In architectural terms, it refers to a distinctive type of courtyard housing that developed in Tbilisi’s historic neighborhoods. In this series, I explore ezo as a particular form of urban space. I am interested in how architecture creates opportunities for human interaction and how a small courtyard can become a place of communal life.
Behind the street-facing facades of old Tbilisi lie inner courtyards overlooked by windows, balconies, and open wooden galleries. Staircases and galleries connect the apartments of different families, bringing them together around a shared courtyard. An ezo resembles a small urban square tucked inside a residential block. Neighbors cross paths here, chance encounters take place, and even outsiders can enter through gates and passageways.
Even while remaining in their own homes, residents can take part in the shared life of the courtyard: calling to neighbors from balconies and galleries, exchanging news across the open space of the ezo. Here, social interaction does not require leaving home — the boundary between private and communal life runs through the courtyard itself. Everyday chores also become occasions for encounters. In the past, neighbors washed dishes and did laundry at a shared water tap, exchanging news as they worked. Tables and benches offered places to gather, talk, or simply spend time together.
Ezo is neither entirely private nor fully public. The courtyard remains an extension of the home while also becoming part of the city. The boundary between individual and collective life is blurred, and opportunities for informal interaction are built into the very structure of the living environment.
Today, the social role of ezo is gradually diminishing. Courtyards are increasingly used as parking spaces, while sections of shared areas are fenced off or adapted for private use. Yet even as they change, these courtyards retain a distinctive spatial arrangement in which the private lives of individual families remain connected through a shared space.
