12 ms·

World's Thinnest House is only 4 ft wide

93 points by LiveTheDream 15y ago

dkokelley 15y ago
I love seeing things like this. It's too bad it's just a concept for now. It reminds me of the Boeing 727 house (http://www.costaverde.com/727.html http://www.costaverde.com/727.html) or the modular apartment in Japan (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?_r=1 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?_r=...)
- nkassis 15y ago
  That house makes me think of this movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123755/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123755/ ;p
pbhjpbhj 15y ago
... and just a proposal/graphics render at this stage?
joelrunyon 15y ago
"The house upon completion shall become the narrowest house in Warsaw, measuring an interior that will vary between 122 centimeters and 72 centimeters in its narrowest spot." Key phrase: "In Warsaw." Was there any discussion of it being the narrowest in the world? Or did I miss something?
- LiveTheDream 15y ago
  Apparently the world's current official narrowest house is narrower at the front (47 inches) but expands to 22 feet. This one will be a bit under 60 inches the whole way through. By average width, this will be the narrowest in the world, not just Warsaw.
- Tiktaalik 15y ago
  For "in the world" it may be between Vancouver's Sam Kee building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kee_Building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kee_Building and Pittsburgh's Skinny Building. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04151/322795.stm http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04151/322795.stm Vancouver's building is thinner at the first floor, but has overhangs on the second which increases its width. Edit: Hmm this is for "commercial" properties so there may be thinner houses.
  - Tiktaalik 15y ago
    Vancouver Chinatown buildings are pretty interesting. There's also a number of buildings with 1/2 floors. http://scoutmagazine.ca/2011/07/21/secret-city-on-buildings-being-john-malkovich-in-chinatown/ http://scoutmagazine.ca/2011/07/21/secret-city-on-buildings-...
- biot 15y ago
  Other key phrase: "upon completion" -- the project date is listed as December 2011 and often these artist concepts don't see the light of day.
ChuckMcM 15y ago
I love creativity like this. The whole stairs into the bottom with a ladder between floors is pretty cool too. Presumably you could make a one-motorcycle garage underneath.
Klinky 15y ago
Why is it a triangle? that'd be a lot of wasted space if these were being stacked vertically.
- Cushman 15y ago
  It lets each room get at least some natural light. This is an art project, not civil engineering.
  - mkramlich 15y ago
    Also rain and snow runoff.
sukuriant 15y ago
If you lined a number of these up, how would the noise be?
- reustle 15y ago
  No different than a usual apartment building? As long as the walls are insulated enough, I would guess.
  - sukuriant 15y ago
    Insulation takes space, though. I'm not sure those walls will be thick enough, and the space inside the house still comfortable and livable.
earino 15y ago
Not 1 closet. That's not a house.
- reustle 15y ago
  Not everyone needs a closet
  - earino 15y ago
    I am genuinely curious about this statement. Who doesn't need a closet? (I mean, theoretically I can imagine someone who only wears 1 outfit in perpetuity... but that's hard to imagine.)
- ww520 15y ago
  Isn't the whole house one big closet?
aplusbi 15y ago
This reminds me of the Richardson Spite House, which was 5 feet wide and built to block the windows of another property. http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON005.htm http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON005.htm
- gurtwo 15y ago
  This reminds me of Flatland
  - kentbuckle 15y ago
    It personally reminds me of 2d side-view games (like later castlevanias) where you can't walk around objects like tables or boxes (you have to jump over them to progress). Perhaps level designers for these sorts of games will become architectural consultants when super-thin houses start springing up in other places?
  - drhodes 15y ago
    Yes, there's another similar book called The Planiverse by A.K. Dewdney that demonstrates a vertical plane-world with a host of 2d innovations necessary for working mechanics and biology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planiverse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planiverse
- SeanLuke 15y ago
  Interesting. I live a short walk from what I believe is the narrowest current spite house in the US, in Old Town Alexandria, Washington DC. 7 feet wide and still proudly lived in. Nearby is +another+ spite house of the same period (post-federal).
rysulliv 15y ago
I feel claustrophobic just looking at the rendering!
shalmanese 15y ago
It's not clear to me how one is meant to reach that beanbag.
- chrisrogers 15y ago
  It seems possible once the stars are up, though I'm not sure how well I would trust using a transformable stair as a floor.
- huhtenberg 15y ago
  Easy, the stairs pull up. http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/1311256554-dom-kereta-jakub-szczdwaegsny-wersja-z-zamknidwaegtymi-schodami-czerwiec-2011-707x1000.jpg http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/13112565...
- mkramlich 15y ago
  place the blue portal here, and an orange portal...
zachrose 15y ago
I like that Etgar Keret is going to be the first resident. One of his stories is called Malffunction, it's about a keyboard with a stuck "F" key. http://books.google.com/books?id=un6rKAjevT4C&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=etgar+keret+keyboard&source=bl&ots=UitLj9T_Ec&sig=Ol7Y89vMNQiFXS1wjQrrj-AzsLw&hl=en&ei=HMcwTq6bNOLiiAKix-iPBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=un6rKAjevT4C&pg=PA87&#3...
- nicklovescode 15y ago
  He never mentioned the width. I ffound this house in the paper, it looks ffine, it looked good. Now I have a broken keyboard and a ffour ffoot house.
ctdonath 15y ago
I once considered building a lakefront house limited to 6 feet wide by zoning restrictions. I'm delighted to see someone is implementing such a design.
sashthebash 15y ago
The ladder in the house reminds me of Super Mario. Great concept, but I would go insane living in such a 2D world over time.

93 points by LiveTheDream 15y ago

I love seeing things like this. It's too bad it's just a concept for now. It reminds me of the Boeing 727 house (http://www.costaverde.com/727.html http://www.costaverde.com/727.html) or the modular apartment in Japan (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?_r=1 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?_r=...)

nkassis 15y ago
That house makes me think of this movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123755/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123755/ ;p

pbhjpbhj 15y ago

... and just a proposal/graphics render at this stage?

joelrunyon 15y ago

"The house upon completion shall become the narrowest house in Warsaw, measuring an interior that will vary between 122 centimeters and 72 centimeters in its narrowest spot." Key phrase: "In Warsaw." Was there any discussion of it being the narrowest in the world? Or did I miss something?

LiveTheDream 15y ago
Apparently the world's current official narrowest house is narrower at the front (47 inches) but expands to 22 feet. This one will be a bit under 60 inches the whole way through. By average width, this will be the narrowest in the world, not just Warsaw.
Tiktaalik 15y ago
For "in the world" it may be between Vancouver's Sam Kee building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kee_Building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kee_Building and Pittsburgh's Skinny Building. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04151/322795.stm http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04151/322795.stm Vancouver's building is thinner at the first floor, but has overhangs on the second which increases its width. Edit: Hmm this is for "commercial" properties so there may be thinner houses.
- Tiktaalik 15y ago
  Vancouver Chinatown buildings are pretty interesting. There's also a number of buildings with 1/2 floors. http://scoutmagazine.ca/2011/07/21/secret-city-on-buildings-being-john-malkovich-in-chinatown/ http://scoutmagazine.ca/2011/07/21/secret-city-on-buildings-...
biot 15y ago
Other key phrase: "upon completion" -- the project date is listed as December 2011 and often these artist concepts don't see the light of day.

ChuckMcM 15y ago

I love creativity like this. The whole stairs into the bottom with a ladder between floors is pretty cool too. Presumably you could make a one-motorcycle garage underneath.

Klinky 15y ago

Why is it a triangle? that'd be a lot of wasted space if these were being stacked vertically.

Cushman 15y ago
It lets each room get at least some natural light. This is an art project, not civil engineering.
- mkramlich 15y ago
  Also rain and snow runoff.

sukuriant 15y ago

If you lined a number of these up, how would the noise be?

reustle 15y ago
No different than a usual apartment building? As long as the walls are insulated enough, I would guess.
- sukuriant 15y ago
  Insulation takes space, though. I'm not sure those walls will be thick enough, and the space inside the house still comfortable and livable.

earino 15y ago

Not 1 closet. That's not a house.

reustle 15y ago
Not everyone needs a closet
- earino 15y ago
  I am genuinely curious about this statement. Who doesn't need a closet? (I mean, theoretically I can imagine someone who only wears 1 outfit in perpetuity... but that's hard to imagine.)
ww520 15y ago
Isn't the whole house one big closet?

aplusbi 15y ago

This reminds me of the Richardson Spite House, which was 5 feet wide and built to block the windows of another property. http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON005.htm http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON005.htm

gurtwo 15y ago
This reminds me of Flatland
- kentbuckle 15y ago
  It personally reminds me of 2d side-view games (like later castlevanias) where you can't walk around objects like tables or boxes (you have to jump over them to progress). Perhaps level designers for these sorts of games will become architectural consultants when super-thin houses start springing up in other places?
- drhodes 15y ago
  Yes, there's another similar book called The Planiverse by A.K. Dewdney that demonstrates a vertical plane-world with a host of 2d innovations necessary for working mechanics and biology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planiverse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planiverse
SeanLuke 15y ago
Interesting. I live a short walk from what I believe is the narrowest current spite house in the US, in Old Town Alexandria, Washington DC. 7 feet wide and still proudly lived in. Nearby is +another+ spite house of the same period (post-federal).

rysulliv 15y ago

I feel claustrophobic just looking at the rendering!

shalmanese 15y ago

It's not clear to me how one is meant to reach that beanbag.

chrisrogers 15y ago
It seems possible once the stars are up, though I'm not sure how well I would trust using a transformable stair as a floor.
huhtenberg 15y ago
Easy, the stairs pull up. http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/1311256554-dom-kereta-jakub-szczdwaegsny-wersja-z-zamknidwaegtymi-schodami-czerwiec-2011-707x1000.jpg http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/13112565...
mkramlich 15y ago
place the blue portal here, and an orange portal...

zachrose 15y ago

I like that Etgar Keret is going to be the first resident. One of his stories is called Malffunction, it's about a keyboard with a stuck "F" key. http://books.google.com/books?id=un6rKAjevT4C&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=etgar+keret+keyboard&source=bl&ots=UitLj9T_Ec&sig=Ol7Y89vMNQiFXS1wjQrrj-AzsLw&hl=en&ei=HMcwTq6bNOLiiAKix-iPBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=un6rKAjevT4C&pg=PA87&#3...

nicklovescode 15y ago
He never mentioned the width. I ffound this house in the paper, it looks ffine, it looked good. Now I have a broken keyboard and a ffour ffoot house.

ctdonath 15y ago

I once considered building a lakefront house limited to 6 feet wide by zoning restrictions. I'm delighted to see someone is implementing such a design.

sashthebash 15y ago

The ladder in the house reminds me of Super Mario. Great concept, but I would go insane living in such a 2D world over time.