Architects' Home and Office is Less Than Eight Feet Wide

This is interesting piece of engineering and I would definitely like to get my hands on of these properties. Do you have any more informations on these architects?

It's beautiful...but I'm thinking I wouldn't want to linger in that bathtub.

"Best bathtub ever"? When December's winds are blowing in off the North Sea, the roof is the last place I'd want to be in Antwerp!

That bathtub alone makes it worth it. A side benefit: in a small house, it's harder to accumulate kitsch.

that bathtub is intriguing... actually the whole project is intriguing... and beautiful. i love it.

but seriously, is there a privacy screen or something that isn't shown in that pic of the tub?

it's an interesting design.
can't be done in the US.
from the photo's it's clear that the floors are supported by the adjacent buildings which doesn't work for earthquakes.

one thing that is very cool is that the entire forst floor window is a custom door. that's very cool.

I hate the fact that the tub is on the roof & that the toilet is right next to the bed like a night stand.

I hope that there are curtains?

Nice house! I'm wondering just how much floor area it has. That's a lot of floors + a lot of stair climbing, but it's a very unique home.

What are you talking about JULIE?! Haven't you ever taken a bath outside when it's raining....windy....etc. And yer all toasty warm in your tub...That's the BEST time to take one....I used to have an outdoor tub, when I lived in Seattle....Right up against a fence...on the other side of which was a ping pong table for a pub...Kept waiting for some one to climb over that fence after a retreating pong ball, only to find ME: spread eagled and nekid....BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME: These persons are very talented.....

Yes, it's the 'best bathtub ever' -if you're not afraid of heights or nudity.

Could easily be made quake proof. When I first saw the photos it looked like a stack of shipping containers - which would be self supporting and work.

What's wrong with stairs? Good exercise. Bungalows = waste of space.

Considering the inescapable fact that heat rises, I don't understand why new homes are still being built with the bedrooms on the upper floors; it's inefficient for heating because all the heat goes upstairs where you don't need it, while you are freezing in your living room. I spent several difficult Christmas visits at my mother's former home, where the daytime featured huge sweaters on and hands in pockets, while I woke up in the middle of the night sweating and miserable in the guest bedroom. The thing I was most impressed with at a house where I once stayed in ski country in California was that it was built "backwards," with the bedrooms downstairs and the living area upstairs. It was a simple but brilliant idea, and I just don't understand why we don't see more houses built that way.

"What's wrong with stairs? Good exercise. Bungalows = waste of space."

how are stairs not a waste of space?

The reason two story houses are so common is that concrete slabs and roofs are much more expensive than 2x4's and stairs.

Zoned heating and cooling in a two story house is a joke, the stairs act as a solar chimney with no exit...

There are pluses and minuses to everything, and stairs have some big downfalls.

i tink its realli a fantastic idea for cities with limited, valuable and expensive per sq feet costs. But by just looking, i am feeling sort of claustrophobic. Should be easily solved by putting full length mirrors on one side? Do u all tink its cheaper to build it via brick and cement or this is a cheap way of building(taking into account wiring, piping and sorts)??

"There are pluses and minuses to everything, and stairs have some big downfalls." - nice one JC:)

But about zoned heating - if floors and ceilings are sufficiently insulated (2'' by 4'' beams between floors provice only room for 100 mm of insulation, 6'' should be minimal thickness IMO), it can be done. And stairwells can be engineered to prevent convection. Also, one needs a lot of thermal mass, so floor heating is a good option.

WOW! What a great idea! Super way to utilize space. Now I am trying to imagine how to apply this to our space crunch!

I think the bath on the roof is a hot tub, not specifically for bathing. You'll notice that the bedroom has an open shower in it. No storing stuff on the floor in there.

My former landlord was an architect. He recently added a garage with a living unit in it on the property I was staying at. He put in a circular staircase. They really do take up less room. But, at least in this area of California, they're only allowed in units that are small (I want to say something like less than 750sq ft). If the space is bigger than that, it typically means more people, and circular staircases are rated for slower egress in case of emergency.

Assuming those plans are to scale, it looks to be about about 16x8 on the floors, so roughly 500 sq ft.

Love it

I like it alot, very nice space to live and work, stair is a nice touch for good health.

Brilliant design, the ability to use such a small space for living and work is insiprational.

All its missing is a fire pole.

-Kyle

if you're into houses like this, you should definitely check-out the houses here in saigon, vietnam. a lot of houses here in the city are like the one featured here :)

This is really great, but is there anyway to make it accessible, that is, useful for the elderly and disabled? The population in the US, and I believe in Europe as well is getting older for the most part, not younger. I don't mean to take anything away from this design, it really is terrific, but accessibility is really key in home design. Maybe a small elevator in the back of the container?

nice way to use that type of dead space. And it´s even more interesting with the color lights on each floor.

Europeans aren't as ashamed of nudity as Americans which explains the rooftop tub.