back	September 15, 2009 RSS

Radical downsizing – the trend towards micro homes

Making the most of minimum space - that really is "creative use of space" and the concept behind the latest micro homes. More and more architects are striving to make optimal use of the scarce space available in our cities. Richard Horden came up with the idea of the Micro Compact Home, a cube with a footprint of just seven square metres. The bed inside it doubles up as a table. Horden's Japanese colleague Yasuhiro Yamashita designed the crystal-shaped Mineral House, practically conceived to accommodate small items of furniture and a fridge, as well as a parking place for a small car. Many of the concepts hail from Japan, which has a long tradition of economising on the rare commodity of urban space. Sou Fujimoto's Log House consists solely of variously-stacked blocks of wood on which occupants eat, sleep and work. Jun Aoki, meanwhile, sees the minimalist home as a suit that you can wear all the time and adapt to all of life's situations. Read the whole story by Owen Young on the trend towards micro homes in THE MINI INTERNATIONAL