Exploring not-so-big living Future in Ruins: Small Open-Plan, Concrete & Wood Cabin Death, decay, destruction? Wait, what? No, there are no plans to demolish this place now or in the near future – but years, decades or centuries from now if the retreat becomes abandoned it will decay in a visually-dynamic way, wood pealing away from a poured-concrete platform and central cast-in-place chimney. While it is not the first worry of any architect (let alone a client), considering the way a building will weather and age both while it is used and if (when) it is eventually deserted shows forethought and imagination above and beyond the basic call of designer duty. Fortunately, Olson-Kundig Architects have a knack for thinking beyond the narrow logistical confines of a given house-as-project. First, the footing and certain core structural walls – most notably those wrapping the hearth in the middle – were poured on site and show the steel rebar holes that mark the means of their construction.
Humble Designs Unit One Shelter-Kit® supplies the material and engineering, you supply the labor. Sold in kit form, our 12' x 12' Unit One ® modular shell is completely weather tight, and is available with an optional Deck or Porch. It's also expandable - you can add any number of modules at any time to build a larger house. The kit contains everything needed to complete the shell: pre-cut, pre-drilled lumber for the post & beam frame; flooring; siding; roofing; trim, and nails and screws. Galvanized steel bolts and custom-machined aluminum hardware fasten key structural members together. No power tools are required for assembly. The Shelter-Kit ® Unit One is ideal for a vacation cabin, ski lodge, studio, guest house, or, when combined with more modules and finished on the inside, a year-round home.
1280sqft 3BR 1BA Shipping Container Home for $25k MATERIALS COST: $10k TOTAL EST. BUILD COST: $25k A 1280sqft 3BR 1BA Home For Less Than The Price of a New Car MINIMALIST: This design uses a minimalist approach to maximize livable floor space and the square footage of the entire footprint of the home, while using the least amount of materials, thereby reducing the total cost to build. SIMPLICITY: The design is so simple it uses just two standard 40’ ISO shipping containers spaced 16 feet apart to form a grand entrance and living room/dining room space which is 640 square feet, with 12 foot vaulted ceilings. UPGRADABLE: Notice how much more room there is inside. MORE FOR YOUR MONEY: 1280 square feet is a good size to start out, and even if you were to splurge a little with more expensive materials you could add another $10k in amenities and still have one very affordable, and very nice home. This is a 1280-1600sqft home for less than the price of a NEW CAR! Subscribe to Off Grid World 1280sqft 3D Model Comments comments
containerbay There is growing interest in the use of shipping containers as the basis for habitable structures. These "icons of globalization" are relatively inexpensive, structurally sound and in abundant supply. Although, in raw form, containers are dark windowless boxes (which might place them at odds with some of the tenets of modernist design...) they can be highly customizable modular elements of a larger structure. The projects below are sorted alphabetically (by company or designer's name). In addition to the container-based projects listed below we offer links to useful web sites and relevant books. Selected projects utilizing shipping containers. Info credits: Zack Smith, Kevin Tze King Ho. Back to top of page Useful linksIf you have any relevant links let us know Container Sources Shipping containers are widely available - here are just a few of the many sources: Technical Resources Books
Tree House / Robert Potokar and Janez Brežnik The Tree House, designed by Robert Potokar of Robert Potokar Architecture Office and co-designer Janez Brežnik, is a wooden play structure that is elevated without requiring nearby trees to support its weight. The concept, originally designed in February 2008 as since been realized three times. More on this project after the break. The freestanding, self-supporting house-by-a-tree is a playhouse designed with contemporary design principles, deviating from precedents that model real houses or garden sheds. Instead, the design was guided by the goal of creating interesting and different spatial experiences for children that inspire new forms of polay. The house is made of spruce spruce plywood, protected on the exterior by a colourless nano-varnish. The furnishings are minimal and simply constructed from dowel pins that allowed children to participate in the making of their playhouse. © Andraž Kavčič, Robert Potokar, Robert Marčun plan and sections
Small House Society: Resources for Life “Better Living Through Simplicity.” History. Founded in 2002, the Small House Society is a cooperatively managed organization dedicated to the promotion of smaller housing alternatives which can be more affordable and ecological. Mission. Media Contacts. Learn More. Directory of Builders. Featured Book World Interest Below are maps showing recent site visitors from around the world. Visitors – Global Visitors – Europe Visitors – North America Visitors – Australia Visitors – Asia Like this: Like Loading...