Over the weekend, The New York Times' real estate magazine Key featured the L-shaped stackable home designs of Swiss architect Hans Zwimpfer. The concept, named Pile Up attempts to merge the "comforts of suburban living, with the convenience and ecological benefits of urban density"...
Each home is an L-shaped unit with flexible floor plans, made possible because the exterior walls of each "L" are the only load-bearing walls. The L-shape also allows every unit to have a second floor or double-height room, making the most of spaciousness and natural light.
These pictures of renderings, models and actual Pile Up projects help to demonstrate how Pile Up works at various scales, but all retain the "human scale" that Hans Zwimpfer was after. Check out the article from The New York Times: Housing Stack.
Images: Julian Faulhaber, Zwimpfer Partners
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Comments (9)
Very reminiscent of Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67. Slightly different look, but same concept.
I like the idea of getting greenspace which is important in an urban environment, but I have always hated the fishbowl effect.
I may want greenspace, but I want privacy in the city even more.
The other question is how much is this per sq. foot?
It looks like Tetris!
i was getting a le corb influence. between the interlocking units and the large outdoor spaces... it just lacks the communal aspect.
the bottommost one is not so hot, but the concept seems to be a lot better than the usual sort of urban architecture. i love the double height room in particular.
Next up: Apartment Therapy writes about the new shipping container house trend.
Though interesting, not at all unusual or new.
This concept has been done many times in the past, most notably by Le Corbusier.
I looove the look of these, but hopefully they're well-insulated! You have neighbors on every single side! Doesn't seem too practical privacy-wise.
love