Living in a city, we're used to seeing buildings crammed together. Yet it takes an inventive mind (or pair of minds) to make a structure fit and function in a space that spans a width of only 7 feet 10 inches.
Architects, Pieter Peerlings and Silvia Mertens, the duo behind the Belgium-based design firm, Sculpt(It), accepted this between-buildings challenge with their Antwerp live/work space. And the reason they decided to make it transparent...?
The four-story, ultra-thin Sculpt(It) headquarters was designed as stacked glasses boxes as a tribute to the exhibitionism of the former red-light district location of the building. The varied neon-lighting was also installed to evoke seediness and to draw attention to the open-to-the-public display. Yet each floor of this meticulous structure serves a vital purpose: workspace on ground level, the second floor is for dining, relaxing on the third, and the bedroom is on the top floor. If you're wondering where the bath is located, we enviously reveal that it's on the roof.
For more pictures and the technicalities behind the construction, visit Archinect.
Via: thecoolhunter
Photos: Luc Roymans
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
That's not, like, a party-time hot tub on the roof; that's the actual bath. On the roof. Unsheltered from the elements. At eye level with other people's windows. Uh.......seriously?
view RobertTheChicken's profile
I was going to ask where the rest of the bathroom was until I clicked on the link. Wow, not for me.
view Cathy27's profile
They tried to hard to show off as architects. Small, cramped, (although stone/concrete) house buildings are common in Belgium and Holland. The glass, as well as the interior, will only survive until the next group of drunken chavs passes by. Every evening, a crowd of voyeuristic teenagers will gather together in front of the building, waiting for the woman to take off her clothes and go to sleep, because they obviously don't want curtains. And the bathtub... there are no security handrails, also weather and temperatures in Belgium aren't like in California...
All this has to be a fake, or at least not permanent?
view Clap's profile
Sorry, typo: "too hard to show off...". And is that a toilet next to the bed?!
view Clap's profile
Those neon lights are ridiculous. Who wants their private space to be so exhibitionist? I want my apartment to look good so I can enjoy it, but I don't want to cover it in different-colored neon lights so everyone in the city to enjoy it. I like the idea of painting the exterior a bright color, but for some reason, neon lights is different.
view Kate The Great's profile
Er, I mean Neon lights ARE different. Sheesh.
view Kate The Great's profile
The pictures are interesting but living there day in and day out with those ugly neon lights would be ...stupid. It seems like they are trying way too hard to make sure everyone knows they are architects.
view Tarasa's profile
Even if you're an exhibitionist - what is to keep the water from the shower from flowing all over the bed? Seems crazy impractical. I imagine even exhibitionists don't like soggy sheets.
view Elizcrtv's profile
I would live there in a minute!... I so wish Americans could let go of their prudent ways...
view Devyn's profile
On this website you can find a (Dutch) video about the house in "aflevering 3": http://www.kanaalz.be/nl/bouwmeesters/
Check out the great details, like the kitchen counter and stove. In the interview they fully admit that this is an experiment on the borders of livability, and the result isn't always practical. But they did succeed in building their own place on a very tight budget.
Also take a look at the other videos on the site. Especially episode 2, 7 and 10. Obviously minimalism is still very big here in Belgium ;-)
view Kelso's profile