French architect Stéphane Malka has a very interesting proposal for how to renovate an old apartment building in Paris. Plug-in City 75, as the project is named, calls for attaching a series of wooden boxes to the building’s façade, which will have the dual function of increasing the interior space of the apartments, as well as make the structure more energy efficient.
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The Vietnamese firm Vo Trong Nghia Architects recently completed the so-called Binh House in Ho Chi Minh City. While it is made of concrete, which is not the most sustainable material, they have found a way to cool it naturally. It also has many plants softening up its façade, which makes it a welcome island of greenery within the city. The firm is planning to build other such houses as part of their House for Trees series.
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The UK firm Architects of Invention has proposed the building of a tower, which was inspired by one of the Seven Wonders of the World, namely the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The tower will feature much greenery and lots of sustainable features, and will be built in Birmingham, UK should the proposal be accepted.
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While living in small spaces is still quite a novelty for most people in North America, it is quite an accepted practice in most of the rest of the world. Especially in China, where livable space is hard to come by in most urban areas. This tiny, L-shaped home recently completed in Beijing is a great example of tiny home architecture done right. […]
This truly odd home is located in Prague, Czech Republic and was designed by the firm Šépka architekti. It was built on a steep slope among trees and is called House in the Orchard. It’s raised off the ground, supported by a concrete stilt, while the living quarters are shaped a lot like a pear. The unique shape and design were chosen to cut down on building costs. The home also quite possibly has the smallest footprint we’ve seen for a good while. […]
It’s been awhile since we covered small apartment living, but this one deserves a mention. The apartment is located in Bordeaux, France and the renovation was carried out by architect Elodie Gaschard of Atelier Miel and Michaël Martins Alfonso.
The apartment measures only 484 square feet (45 sq m), and the architects first created a series of storage solutions, and built-in furniture pieces, with the aim of getting rid of the clutter, which so often plagues small spaces. They also designed a clever transformer piece of furniture, which allows for the space to be sub-divided in a meaningful way, while still connecting the separate areas of the apartment. […]
