27 ene 2013

boulder house





















Shinagawa-Ku, Japan 


More info: be fun design


hut-to-hut



















Location: 
Design Team: Sami Rintala, Pasi Aalto, Gunilla Bandolin,Robin Belven, Einar Syversen, Helder Matos, Ida Mosand, Monica Bellika Esaiassen, Kristin Rønnestad, Marta Correa, Moritz Kerschbaum, Olav Kildal, Jonny Klevstad, Karoline Førsund and Dagur Eggertsson
Collaborators: Eden Project, Loowatt Ltd., Buro Happold, Annapurna Garimella, Suresh Heblikar, Jim O’Donnell, Sujata Goel, Kalidas Shetty, Talavane Krishna, Arnun Balakrishnan and Murali Krishna
Photographs: Pasi Aalto

The hut was developed in a design- and building workshop with students from the University of Technology in Trondheim following an international seminar about the future of eco-tourism in the Western Ghats region in India. The main aim was to find solutions which would benefit the local population specifically and the environment of the region in general.
The concept was to make the hut as environmentally friendly as possible by using locally produced, materials and renewable energy sources. This would then simplify both production and maintenance of the buildings in the long run.
The organization is based on the local building tradition with a cluster of houses which compose a shaded courtyard situation where people can gather. One, two or more buildings can be built next to already existing dwellings or erected separately to form an individual cluster of buildings. Introducing an orthogonal traffic system in the building, one can add several of these buildings together to form a more urban setting in the situation where that is feasible.
The hut represents a possibility for the local population to invest in the growing environmentally conscious segment of the tourist market while maintaining their traditional culture and lifestyle.
The building is totally off-grid. It has solar panels on the roof producing enough energy for the future inhabitants and a composting latrine which produces biogas enough for one household.


log house












Location: Hilversum, The Netherlands

Designer: Piet Hein Eek

Owner: music-entertainer Hans Liberg 

6 ene 2013

Tricycle House and Tricycle Garden































Designed by People’s Architecture Office (PAO) + People’s Industrial Design Office (PIDO), the Tricycle House and Tricyle Garden was designed to address the theme of the 2012 Get It Louder Exhibition. The inability to own land is a fundamental condition in China unique from many western countries. The Tricycle House suggests a future where the temporary relationship and the public nature between people and the land they occupy is embraced. 

The Tricycle House is also an experiment with folded plastic as a construction method. Using a CNC router each piece of the house is cut and scored flat and then folded and welded into shape. The plastic we use, polypropylene, is unique in that it can be folded without losing its strength. The house itself can therefore entirely open up to the outside, expand out like an accordion to increase space, and connect to other houses. The plastic is also translucent ensuring the interior is always well lit whether by the sun during the day or street lamps at night.
Through this design, single family homes can be affordable and sustainable, parking lots are not wasted at night, and traffic jams are acceptable. The Tricycle House is man powered allowing off-the-grid living. Facilities in the house include a sink and stove, a bathtub, a water tank, and furniture that can transform from a bed to a dining table and bench to a bench and counter top. The sink, stove, and bathtub can collapse into the front wall of the house.