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

A 75sqm Apartment Reimagined

Reimagined Apartment - Bedroom #2

Ola,

This morning I came across an interesting article on ArchDaily - Flinders Lane Apartment / Clare Cousins Architects.

This project was to 'reimagine' a 75m² (807.293 sq.ft) apartment for a young family.  The apartment is located in a heritage-listed building in Melborne CBD (Central Business District).  The clients were expecting their first child and wanted to convert the existing one bedroom apartment into a space suited to their needs.

Reimagined Apartment - Building in Melbourne CBD

The two bedrooms were inspired by traditional Japanese houses. The first bedroom was based on the length of a single bed and just 2m wide (6.56 ft).  In the second bedroom, the mattress only bed is supported by a raised platform.  Sliding screens allow the room to be open visually and provides additional seating to the living space.  It can be transformed to a private zone by sliding the screens closed.

Reimagined Apartment - Bedroom #1

With a footprint of 25m² (269 sq. ft) per person, this design minimizes the sleeping areas and maximizes the living and social spaces to be enjoyed by the young family.

Reimagined Apartment - Bathroom

The young family's small space and modest budget has been maximized by efficient spatial planning and the creative composition of commonly available materials.

Reimagined Apartment - Living Area

The use of plywood enhances the perception of space, as well as providing dual cost benefits; plywood is affordable and readily available and most of the joinery was designed to be constructed by a carpenter, further minimizing construction costs.

I am a serious advocate of living spaces with a small footprint.  BRAVO to the architects on this project!

- Eddy