Cool! The design of this minimalist residential house in Hong Kong uses concrete water pipes, the area is only 9.29 m2!!!
The difficulty of finding comfortable housing that is easily accessible within a budget is a big problem in Hong Kong. The density of the population is not matched by the number of houses that can be bought or rented at affordable prices. Recorded by the international survey institute Demographia 2017, Hong Kong is one of the countries that has few affordable housing in the world. This certainly proves that high-priced houses are widely marketed in this country but the average population has a moderate economic level.
Many architects have come up with proposals to design comfortable housing with affordable rent estimates to solve this problem. One of them is James Law Cybertecture with his OPod Tube House. The residence he designed is a low-cost modular micro-apartment, consisting of a 2.5-meter diameter concrete water tube. The total area of the room is 9.29 square meters. Uniquely, this residence is equipped with an automatic lock with a smartphone.
According to the architect, it can be arranged upwards and become a vertical residence that saves land area but is still easily accessible. For young people, of course, this residence can be a starter home for them. Moreover, the location of the residence in the middle of the city makes it easy to reach from various areas. This residence can also be inserted in the space between buildings more easily.
This OPod project is also still a concept with a 1:1 prototype to show the residential appearance of the tube. Curved walls can be felt inside the dwelling. There are various rooms such as bedrooms, cooking rooms, and bathrooms. Of course, with the use of smart-furniture, there is one space with various uses or multifunctionality.
Inside, the interior walls are painted white so that light is reflected and the room feels more spacious. Not only that, flat wooden floors are installed so that people inside move more easily on flat floors. As for the furniture, it is designed with a combination of gray and yellow colors. Although small, this residence is also equipped with air conditioning. The electrical cables are well installed on the wall following the flow of the wall and give an industrial-style impression in this minimalist residence.
At the very front of the house, there is a space for working and relaxing. There is a bench with an elongated cushion on one side. On the opposite side, there is a table with storage shelves that appear simple in the space. This table can also be used to place various kinds of necessities for work. Of course, it will be very suitable for the lifestyle of young people today.
The uniqueness of the space doesn't stop there. On this part of the bench, the frame can be extended to form a straight board. Then the seat cushion that becomes a backrest can be lowered to create a comfortable bed in the room. The existence of the bed also does not hinder the circulation of the path in and out of the dwelling.
Moving on to the next multipurpose room, in this area residents can do various activities such as cooking, or hanging clothes. There is a mini fridge, microwave, and also a sink area on one side. You could say that this side is the cooking area in the residence. There is no stove, only a microwave for safer cooking in this limited space. As for the other side, there is a clothes storage rack where residents can hang clothes and put luggage on the rack.
For the last room, there is a bathroom complete with toilet and shower. The connecting door between the storage room and the bathroom still has a frame on the floor so that water will not enter the dwelling. You have to be careful not to trip over it. The bathroom is fitted with hexagonal ceramic tiles on the entire circular wall. Then the floor is composed of elongated boards with a gap for drainage.
The glass doors that also function as windows in this residence are of course necessary for natural light to enter. In addition to natural light, lights are also designed in various parts such as under or above the shelves which are then reflected on the curved white walls. A retractable or foldable frame is attached to the wall, so that it can easily provide light when reading on the sofa bench.
According to James Law, modular housing for micro-apartments can be a solution for those who want affordable and comfortable housing. Although it is not a permanent solution, it will be very useful for those who want to stay for a low period of time. This home is estimated to cost £11,000 or the equivalent of approximately 206 million rupiah. It can be rented out for £300 / 5 million per month, which is cheaper than the average price of an apartment in Hong Kong, which is more than £1,500 / 28 million.
If this residence exists in Indonesia, would you be interested in renting or buying it?
source: dezeen | jameslawcybertecture