mincasa – a minimal blog for minimal houses

Credits: Eduard Böhtlingk -  http://www.bohtlingk.nl/ – Photos: Roos Aldershoff

The Markies is not an ordinary caravan, but it can serve as one because it meets all the B-road transport requirements. It was an entry for a temporary dwelling competition and was conceived as a mobile holiday home.

When it is on the road, the Markies measures 2.20 m by 4.40 m. Once it arrives at its destination, its floor space can be increased threefold in a matter of seconds.  Both side walls can be folded down electronically and the resulting area can then be covered automatically via the concertina-like awnings, which can be lowered to exactly the height desired.

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Credits: Markku Hedman, Professor, Architect SAFA – http://www.a-mh.fi/

Summer-Container is a movable timber-framed holiday cabin, operating on the matchbox principle. The purpose of the project was to study temporary dwelling, the relationship of building with nature and adaptability and varied use of a small leisure home. The project has also studied the uses of domestic lumber and plywood products and glued structural joints.

Summer-Container is a small building with an ephemeral and unsettled spirit. It reflects contemporary social, environmental and cultural reality and it meets the needs of a present-day individual inhabitant. In addition this project is utilised to examine the characteristics of sustainable development in housing design and construction. At the same time Summer-Container is deeply rooted into the history of Finnish architecture. It is a reinterpretation of a conventional Finnish holiday cabin. It makes use of materials typically utilized in industry and transforms them into a restful summer-home. It also creates a variable structure, which is able to accommodate itself into a traditional Finnish countryside or forest.

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Credits: http://www.24h-architecture.com/ and Christian Richters (Photos)

Extension to house on Övre Gla, Sweden

This house is an extension is to an original cabin dating from the late 1800’s, located on the shore of the lake Övre Gla in the nature reserve Glaskogen in Sweden. According to Swedish building regulations it is not allowed to build along the lake shore, but an exception is made if it is an extension to an existing building. Although a maximum floor area is allowed in that case. A second priority from the building regulations is its proximity to the border of the estate. In this case the extraordinary location along a stream, this forms part of the site boundary. The building should stay 4 meters clear of the site boundary.

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