Living Smaller: 24 Rooms Tucked Into One

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we have been talking about design trends and prefabrication, one topic that we have mentioned again and again is that of living smaller. One architect and resident of Hong Kong, Gary Chang, has mastered the concept, utilizing modular units that can be transformed into 24 layouts, making the most of his 344 sq. ft. apartment. It looks like open space, but behind movable walls, this tiny apartment holds surprises.

24 Space Sequence Possibilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enlarged Plan Details:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The modular wall units, which are suspended from steel tracks bolted into the ceiling, seem to glide an inch above the reflective black granite floor. As they are shifted around, the apartment becomes many spaces — kitchen, library, laundry room, dressing room, a video viewing lounge with a hammock, an enclosed dining area and a wet bar. By utilizing fold-away furniture and sliding walls, Chang is able to create spaces in a novel way.

 

 

 

 

Chang explains why this kind of design is so important in a world of diminishing resources, particularly when one of those resources is space:

“The key idea is that everyone could look into their home more carefully and into how better to optimise their resources, because space is a resource. There is no use making your home as if it is a perfect show flat but at the same time never using the space.”

Click here to see a video of his “domestic transformer” apartment in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg9qnWg9kak

 

 

For the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?pagewanted=all