BuBbLe. "Fragile Shelter" Is a Cozy Base For Winter Activities. © Hidemi Nishida Studio Remember winter?
In case you can't , like many of us in Eastern USA and Canada, here is a taste of last winter from Hidemi Nishida Studio. It is a temporary shelter in Sapporo Art Forest, built in January 2011. It is described on the website: This project is a temporary shelter in the wild winter forest. Frame Publishers quotes Nishida: I grew up in Otaru, one of Hokkaido’s oldest cities with a lot of historical architecture. Nishida says this is the ‘essence of life’ and was inspired to hand-make a shelter from scratch. WINTER HOUSE_Fragile Shelter Project from Hidemi Nishida on Vimeo. Inhabitat notes that "the shelter is made from timber and wrapped in plastic sheeting. Let's hope that this winter is an aberration, and these kinds of experiences are more than memories. $1000 Egg House on Wheels for a Working Urban Architect. The newly-graduated architect rarely has the luxury of living in an owned home, and may even find their starting salary insufficient to afford a decent apartment within walking (or riding) distance of the office.
For a three-figure sum, this designer has solved both problems at once via a unique DIY dwelling project. Dai Haifei needed to save money and spent so much time at work anyway, the solution was strange but simple: construct a livable abode that can be wheeled and parked in the empty space right outside of the workplace. It isn’t much – just a bed, a lamp and a water tank inside – but it is sufficient for someone trying to save and scrape together a living. While not the warmest of residences, seed sacks on the outside are slowing adding some exterior weather and sound protection. Gorgeous Norwegian Outdoor Fireplace Combines Reuse with Local Traditions. © Jason Havneraas & Unni Skoglund There's nothing quite like gathering around a crackling fire out of doors, and it's easily argued that modern homo sapiens spends far too little time around this primal element.
This simple, cozy but elegant fireplace dome by Norwegian firm Haugen/Zohar Arkitekter -- built for children in a residential neighbourhood -- is one place that will get people quickly re-acquainted with a timeless and universal tradition. Located in a playground in Trondheim, Norway, the structure doubles as an enclosed place for storytelling around a fire. The conical-shaped hut - looking something like a glowing dollop on the landscape -- is made from recycled materials salvaged from a nearby construction site. Due to the limited budget, short pieces of wood were used in a stacking and offsetting strategy that led to the final whimsical form. © Jason Havneraas & Unni Skoglund Drawing from local traditions, the designers describe the fireplace as.
Portable Tree Houses Work in Any Environment (and Don't Require Trees) © Tentsile In 2010, a team of designers was asked to build a tree house in a yard without trees.
The seemingly impossible task gave birth to the Tentsile, the portable "tree house" that can be set up in just 30 minutes, in just about any environment. The Tentsile is more of a combination hammock-tent than a tree house, but it looks best hanging in the forest. The design team set out to make a habitation that maximizes space while minimizing material used (it's made from water resistant polyester). The odd looking inverted pyramid has a cord running the length of each of its three points. Whether you go with the 2, 5 or 8-man model, the Tentsile provides plenty of space, supported above the ground, safe from rising water and predators (if you're in a really wild spot).
The Tentsile isn't shockingly light, but the two-man model weighs in at between 11 and 18 pounds, which isn't too heavy, either. Posh Outdoor Playhouses: Ultramodern Plans for Little Kids. Wooden treehouses, clubhouses and pillow forts are so last year, and what trendy kid would be caught using a colorful playset or ordinary playground equipment these days?
For cool-hunting youngsters, the alternative is clear: build a playhouse that rivals modern (and postmodern) dwellings of size and stature. All jesting aside, though, these are quite elite little retreats. Pilotis support one such minimalist model, complete with a tike-sized front deck, white walls and curtains and clean modernist lines. Another takes a page from the deconstructivists, odd angles and organic forms throughout. These works were dreamed up by a dad, of course, but one with an eye toward contemporary design. Surprisingly self-contained and easy to assemble, these are built to be set up in a matter of minutes (or hours at most) by even a novice at do-it-yourself projects, thus allowing kids to also join in the fun. Dream-Like Desert Home Design for Wide Open-Air Spaces. Frank Lloyd Wright would be proud to see this future student of his school, experimenting with architecture that responds to the landscape but is expressive, unique and livable as well.
Simon de Aguero created this project for the FLW School of Architecture and almost entirely from found scrap, waste and local materials including discarded steel, desert earth and forgotten concrete-shaping forms. The core structure is built out of rammed earth, rising jagged like natural rocks from the ground. Overhead, ? A single stretched vinyl shade toys with both literal and metaphorical tension, between rods and the rocky building blocks below, respectively.
Liberated from some of the weather-related constrictions of a normal site, the entire project was executed without the need for full walls, windows or doors – it looks like a hybrid of natural outcroppings, architectural interventions and camping-inspired inventions.