Le Corbusier used to say that architecture should not only impress but also serve society and, as such, adapt to its needs. In a changing, demanding world, where the square metre is so expensive, many architects (especially the younger ones) are gearing their projects to innovative and ecological constructions with a common denominator: maximizing minimum spaces. Imagination and creativity are their pillars. Some of these small scale, curious works have been put together in the book “Micro. Edifi canciones muy pequeñas” (Ed. Blume).
THORNCROWN CHAPEL
Fay Jones
(EUREKA SPRINGS, USA.)
Wood and glass are the two elements that sustain this mini chapel, considered in the year 2000 among the ten best structures of the 20th century, according to The American Institute of Architects. Being 18.25 metres long, 7.5 metres wide, and 15 metres tall, it’s possible to experience inside the magic of the forest. Its lights and shadows come through the transparent facade. A good example of metaphysical structure.
DESERT SEAL
Estudio Architecture and Vision
(DESERT TERRITORIES)
With boomerang shape, this tent finds its natural habitat in deserts. Product of the most advanced technology, it is light and easy to fold up. In the higher part (more than two metres high), it boasts a fan that freshens up the inside during the day and keeps it warm at night. Living in the dunes can now be a kinder experience.
SHEDBOATSHED
Simon Starling
(BASEL, SWITZERLAND)
At times a shed, at times a boat. Simon Starling, Turner Prize 2005, specialises in creating installations with recycled objects. On this occasion, he converted a cabin into a boat, then sailed along the Rhine river and arrived in Basel. There he turned it into a shed to exhibit at the Basel Kunst museum. Art in an everyday object.
PETER PAN HOUSE
Sanei Hopkins Architects
(SUFFOLK, UK)
Corrugated metal sheets in different sizes were used by London couple Amir Sanei and Abigail Hopkins to create what they define as a ‘house’ of games for their children, a Neverland made to measure. The structure hangs from the trees a couple of metres from the ground and has some benches inside. A home for Peter Pan.
WIND SHELTER
Ian McChesney
(BLACKPOOL, UK)
This unusual construction appears on theextensive beach of Blackpool in the UK like a powerful whale tail. In a landscape where the wind is constantly blowing, architect Ian McChesney put up a revolving structure that always turns its back on the wind. Its 8 metres high sit on a base, where you have a seat for passersby in horseshoe shape. A beautiful spot from which to contemplate the ocean.
ROOM MATE BY TERESA SAPEY: THE SMALLEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD
(POP UP, MADRID)
All the comforts of a 4 star hotel fi t into 15 square metres. Room Mate launched the challenge and Italian architect Teresa Sapey made it real. Inspired by the Rubik cube – with modules rotating over a central axis – she designed a solution to the lack of space: modules that appear, together or separately, according to needs. The access, a big panel of apples, opens up to a corridor leading to a neutral central area. There you can choose between reception, bedroom, dining room, bathroom, bar, gym and resting area. Room Mate Hotels presented this petit hotel at Beefeater London District, the first competition for ‘containers’ in Spain, in June2014. It was then exposed at Fitur. The next destination is yet to be discovered.