Sweden's Smallest Apartment. Have you ever seen something so compact, adorable, and smartly designed?
Built as affordable housing for students in Lund, Sweden, this tiny cottage, which is under 12 square meters, rents for about $370 a month (2500 kronor) and comes with everything a tenant might need – a sleeping loft, kitchenette with dining area, a bathroom, and study area. Due to economical housing being so few and far between, the apartment is a hot commodity and students must compete to live here. They also must participate in things like blogging about their experience living in the space. AFB, the city’s building commission, proposed building 60 to 100 of the units but were turned down because of Sweden’s strict building codes (i.e., requiring access for the disabled). They’re working on an appeal in hopes of bringing more of these perfectly sized, bargain flats to the masses. Photos by Jan Nordén. Micro Cabin in Finland. Built overlooking a lake in Finland, this Micro Cabin, nicknamed “Nido,” was designed and built by Robin Falck to enjoy once out of the military.
It took a while to design and Falck consulted with a couple of architects to get everything right, but the results are phenomenal. Finland has regulations that restrict cabins and small houses from being larger than 96-128 square feet if they are being built without a permit. Falck was able to build a 96-square-foot cabin with a 50-square-foot loft space that houses the bed and stores clothing.
Using mostly recycled materials, the entire cabin was built for around $10,500 plus the labor. Amazing! [via Tiny House Listings] Kristoffer tejlgaard + benny jepsen: people's meeting dome. Sep 24, 2012 kristoffer tejlgaard + benny jepsen: people's meeting dome ‘people’s meeting dome’ by kristoffer tejlgaard and benny jepsen, bornholm, denmark image courtesy of kristoffer tejlgaard this year’s people’s meeting in bornholm, denmark, is intended to spark debate and discussion about the future of housing.
Construction processvideo © kristoffer tejlgaard entry image courtesy of kristoffer tejlgaard recycled wood planks wrap the surface in varying patterns image courtesy of kristoffer tejlgaard image courtesy of kristoffer tejlgaard interior of the pavilion image courtesy of kristoffer tejlgaard sections of glass flood the space with light image courtesy of kristoffer tejlgaard. Visiondivision: villa village. Oct 08, 2012 visiondivision: villa village ‘villa village’ by visiondivision, tampere, finland image © visiondivision a central promenade like a city plaza fills all the surrounding mini-structures with plenty of light as it provides a common area for ‘community’ gatherings. some of the components are oriented towards the lake, while others are lost amongst the forest trees, embracing a more introverted character. a new living room, built on the flat roof of the existing dwelling connects the downstairs to the upstairs cottages. every piece of the residence is connected either through interior stairwells or exterior pathways, with the possibility for addition or subtraction. this also gives each individual component it’s own privacy for each function, be it a quiet office or guest house. image © visiondivision bedroom with open views to the landscape image © visiondivision site plan image © visiondivision section perspective image © visiondivision concept diagram image © visiondivision.
Basket Apartments by OFIS Architects. OFIS Architects have completed the Basket apartment building for student housing in Paris, France Project description.
MVRDV completes Book Mountain and Library Quarter Spijkenisse. Close to the Port of Rotterdam docks, MVRDV has completed the Spijkenisse Book Mountain, a public library in Spijkenisse’s market square.
It features a 480 meter route, lined with bookshelves, that wraps around a stacked, pyramidal form as it is showcased through the library’s glass structure. The “mountain of books” illuminates from within and serves as both an advertisement and an invitation to reading. The adjacent Library Quarter consisting of 42 social housing units, parking and public space is also a project by MVRDV. Together, with the Book Mountain, it strives to form an “exemplary eco-neighborhood”. Continue after the break for the architects’ description. The library is designed as an advert for reading, its visible presence and invitation holding great significance for a community with 10 percent illiteracy. Old Water Tower Transformed into a Modern Living Space. EmailEmail Picture yourself living in a house that was built nearly 100 years ago, and was once even used as a Nazi hide-out during the war.
Now add to this the fact that the house is actually a 100-feet high water tower that was in service till 1990, and you’ll get really close to grasping just how cool is. The Bham Design Studio started developing this tower renovation project in 2007, and eventually it ended up being a single family apartment, structured on five floors. Slip House by Carl Turner Architects. Carl Turner Architects have designed a combined house and studio for themselves in London’s Brixton district.
Description from Carl Turner Architects Occupying one of four plots forming a gap in a typical Brixton terrace, Slip House constitutes a new prototype for adaptable terraced housing. Three simple ‘slipped’ orthogonal box forms break up the bulk of the building and give it it’s striking sculptural quality. The top floor is clad in milky, translucent glass planks, which continue past the roof deck to create a high level ‘sky garden’. Designed to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5, it features ‘energy piles’ utilising a solar assisted ground source heat pump creating a thermal store beneath the building.
Living and working (‘Living over the shop’) is something that really interests us. The perimeter walls are load bearing, freeing up the internal areas of supporting columns or additional load bearing walls. Architecture: Carl Turner Architects. Metal Staircase by Francesco Librizzi Studio. A wireframe staircase leads to a new top floor inside this renovated apartment in Milan by architect Francesco Librizzi.
Before renovation the small apartment comprised just two rooms in a house built in 1900, but Librizzi was able to insert a mezzanine bedroom beneath the high ceilings. The staircase is made from 14mm-wide lengths of iron, which create ladder-like treads inside a rectilinear tower. For stability, the base of the staircase is screwed into the hexagonal concrete tiles that cover the floor. See all our stories about staircases » Here's some text from Francesco Librizzi: A very small apartment within a very “Milanese” building dated 1900.
Windows, doors, and above all the floor tiles, had finishes and materials survived to another century: something precious to save as a resource for the new inhabitants of this space.