Skinny Houses

Imai House by Katsutoshi Sasaki

Ola!

As you all have probably realized, I am in love with structures that have a small footprint.

Recently, I wrote about a flat in Melborne CBD - A 75sqm Apartment Reimagined.  The space was inspired by Traditional Japanese Houses.

Recently, I came across an article in DEZEEN - 10 Super Skinny Houses.

In their article, they showcase 10 Skinny Houses that they thought were pretty cool.

Here the ones I am crazy for:

Stacking Green by Vo Trong Nghia

This house is in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet-nam and was designed by Vietnamese architects Vo Trong Nghia.  The structure is 20 metres (65.62ft) deep but just four metres (13.12ft) wide.  The long, thin "tube house" shape is very common in Vietnam.

Stacking Green - Courtyard/Foyer

Slim House extension by Alma-nac

This terraced house in London terraced house is among the slimmest in the city.  It occupies a former stable in a 2.3 metre (7.55ft)gap between larger buildings. Instead of adding a solid block to the back of the house, the architects at Alma-mac decided to stagger the floors of the extension.  The slopping roof for the extention is spotted with windows to bring in more sunlight.

Slim House - Dining Room

Promenade House by FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects

This house, located in Shiga, Japan, is 27 metres deep, 2.7 metres wide (88.58ft x 8.86ft).  The rooms are connected by long, thin corridors.

Promenade House - Interior

Garden and House by Ryue Nishizawa

Of the skinny houses I wrote about in today's blog, Garden and House is my favorite.  The Japanese architect, Ryue Nishizawa, wanted to create a "house without walls" insuring that the narrow width of this four metre wide (13.13ft) plot in Tokyo didn't feel any smaller.  He used floor to ceiling glass between each slab of this 4 story structure.

Garden House - Interior

I strongly feel that we should only use land that we need.  We are not the only creatures living on this planet.  There should be room enough for all.

- Eddy

Salvaged Ring Coffee House

Salvaged Ring - Coffee Shop - Nha Trang, Vietnam

Olá,

I was reading Dezeen.com the other day when I came across an article about a coffee house in
Nha Trang, Vietnam that was made of scrap wood.

As you all already know, I am a staunch advocate of eco-friendly building.  I immediately fell in love with this structure.

The Salvaged Ring is a coffee shop located along side a highway in the countryside of Nha Trang, Vietnam.  After years working, the owner, which is a local carpenter, had a big stock of scrap wood that he wished to have another life. a21studio brought these pieces of wood came to life.

Upper Level of Coffee House

The timber skeleton supports a thatched roof that spirals down from an entrance near the road to cover a lower level with seating scattered about a central garden.

Stairs leading to lower level

Lower Level and Central Garden

"The advantages of using the salvaged wood are that it saves the owner money and it gives the wood another life instead of being left useless in the warehouse." 

- Toan Nghiem, Architect

I immediately fell in love with this Coffee House, because it took me back to my time in Thailand.  It would be great to sit there having a great cup of coffee, enjoying being close to the river and having a great view of the garden.

View of Wood Frames

Traditional carpentry techniques including mortise and tenon joints were used to connect the variously sized sections of wood needed to build the frame, meaning no additional timber had to be sourced.

The palette of natural materials also included coconut leaves, used to form the thatched roof, and stones that were used to make low walls next to the entrance.

Street View - Coffee House

It is great seeing that recycling of materials to be used in construction is taking off all over the world!

- Eddy

O PRIMEIRO DIA [THE FIRST DAY]

Aloha,

Today is the TRUE FIRST DAY of my new life. For quite some time, I have been very interested in INTERIOR DESIGN. After much contemplation, I took a leap of faith and started the ball rolling to change my career from FASHION DESIGNER to INTERIOR DESIGNER.

I am always truly amazed at how doors begin to open when you discover the path that is right for you!!!! As I learn more about the world of INTERIOR DESIGN, more and more is being revealed to me.

Today, I pinned a beautiful home in Saigon, Vietnam to my architecture board in PINTEREST. 

Stacking Green / Vo Trong Nghia
FACADE

Stacking Green / Vo Trong Nghia
FACADE

Stacking Green / Vo Trong Nghia
LIVING ROOM

Stacking Green / Vo Trong Nghia
DINING ROOM

Stacking Green / Vo Trong Nghia
BEDROOM

Stacking Green / Vo Trong Nghia
BATHROOM

I fell in love with this house the first time I saw it.  It is on a very small plot of land and it has made very good use of it!!! The green foliage facade is beautiful as well as functional. The green foliage keeps the house cool, provides clean air and functions as a buffer to reduce noise pollution. The clean lines and use of stone give the home look like they are a result of FENG SHUI.  From looking at the photos of STACKING GREEN, I can feel that there is no place for XI to become stagnant in this home!