Hasta La Ideas

Architecture collective MAPA of Brazil and Uruguay has built a prefabricated modular home and transported it by lorry to a picturesque spot in the countryside outside Porto Alegre (photos by Leonardo Finotti + slideshow).

MAPA, which was formed by the merging of separate studios MAAM and StudioParalelo, built the mobile residence as the prototype for Minimod, a business creating bespoke modular structures that can be used as homes, remote hotels, pop-up shops or temporary showrooms.

The residential retreat comprises four modules, creating separate areas for sleeping, lounging, dining and bathing within a simple steel-framed structure.

The two end walls of the building are entirely glazed. At one end, this frames views out from the bedroom area, while at the other it creates a shower room that can be treated as both an inside or outside space, depending on which doors have been opened.

Huge shutters also hinge away from the side walls to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing residents to open their living space out to the surroundings.

The base of the building is raised off the ground to protect it from rising damp and the roof is covered with plants that integrate a natural system of rainwater harvesting and filtration.

The structure was entirely prefabricated before being delivered to its rural location, but MAPA says the buildings can also be transported in pieces and assembled onsite.

Photography is by Leonardo Finotti.

Here’s some extra text from the design team:

MINIMOD proposes an innovative, intelligent and sustainable alternative of dwelling

Starting from a minimal module, MINIMOD invests in customisation, design and sustainability. The production is carried out in a prefabricated manner and enjoys the steel frame system technology, which lets the client adapt the space to his needs, choosing among different finishes, as well as automation options.

Depending on the composition of the modules, MINIMOD can vary the uses ranging from a compact refuge for weekends, a small showroom for events, up to hotels and inns, combining a larger number of modules. The modules are 100% prefabricated and elevated to a determined place by truck or disassembled into smaller pieces and taken to the ground for final assembly.

The expansion and addition of new modules can be performed either at initial installation or in the middle of the process, according to the needs and budgets of the client. MINIMOD is more than a product of design, is more than a house. It’s practicality combined with comfort, it’s economy allied to nature, it’s a unique experience of housing and contemporary living.

MAPA Architects it’s a binational collective that works on architectural projects in Brazil and Uruguay. From this double geographical condition, MAPA explores the limits of non-conventional production formats. The studio has originally established itself from professional and academic grounds: two complementary fields that create and shape its work.

Project: MINIMOD
Year: 2013
Prototype area: 27m2
Prototype volume: 81m3
Prototype location: Maquiné, RS, Brazil

Authors: MAPA Architects
Luciano Andrades, Matías Carballal, Rochelle Castro, Andrés Gobba, Mauricio López, Silvio Machado, Camilla Pereira, Jaqueline Lessa, Alexis Arbelo, Pamela Davyt, Emiliano Etchegaray, Camila Thiesen, Pablo Courreges, Diego Morera, Isabella Madureira, Aldo Lanzi, Emiliano Lago.

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delivered to the Brazilian countryside appeared first on Dezeen.

A flightless spaceship is slowly creeping around a former Cold War airbase near Utrecht (+ slideshow + movie).

Secret Operation 610 by Rietveld Landscape and Studio Frank Havermans is an art installation and mobile research space located at a former Royal Netherlands Air Force military base in Soesterberg, 14 kilometres north east of Utrecht.

The project comprises a 4.5 metre-tall black vehicle with two large wing-shaped legs that exit a diamond-shaped cockpit and have caterpillar tracks on the feet. “The object revives the mysterious atmosphere of the Cold War and its accompanying terrifying weaponry,” said the designers.

There is seating for ten people to work inside the object, which will be used by visiting researchers. “The unconventional combination of nature and Cold War history offers an exciting environment for the development of knowledge about nature, technology and aviation,” said Ronald Rietveld.

The vehicle is housed in a former F15 plane hanger and when in use travels along the disused airstrip. “The lethargic pace of the caterpillar wheels gives viewers a long period of contemplation of the elevated vessel and its historical context at the military airbase,” the designers said.

“Due to this brutal object’s constantly changing position in the serene landscape, it allows the visitor to experience the area and the history of the military airbase in new ways.”

The elevated vehicle was designed to resemble military aircraft but remains flightless. It is 4.5 metres tall, 11 metres wide and eight metres long.

A third leg extends over the back end of the capsule to provide stability and has a wheel on the foot for maneuverability.

The machine is constructed from steel and wood that is sprayed with liquid black rubber. The interior is lined with painted wood.

“It is a functional piece of work that serves as a research station,” said the designers. One of the first groups to use the workspace is aerospace engineering researchers CleanEra from Delft University of Technology, who are researching environmentally-sound aviation.

The Secret Operation project was originally created for arts festival Vrede van Utrecht 2013.

Here’s a movie of the vehicle in action:

Rietveld Landscape is a design and research office based in Amsterdam. Its other projects include an arched foam screen with hundreds of building-shaped holes inside a disused chapel in Utrecht and a crisscrossing bridge. See more coverage of Rietveld Landscape »

Previous work by Frank Havermans includes a bright red tower resembling the head and neck of a monster and a sunken concrete pavilion built by a stream in the Netherlands.

See more transport design »

Images are by Michiel de Cleene and René de Wit, courtesy of Rietveld Landscape.

Here’s a full project description:

Secret Operation 610 by Rietveld Landscape and Studio Frank Havermans

When aircraft Shelter 610 opens its ruthless doors, a monstrous black behemoth slowly comes driving out. The object revives the mysterious atmosphere of the Cold War and its accompanying terrifying weaponry.

At an almost excruciatingly slow pace, the artwork uses its caterpillar tracks to cross the seemingly infinite runway. Due to this brutal object’s constantly changing position in the serene landscape, it allows the visitor to experience the area and the history of the military airbase in new ways.

At the same time, the artwork functions as a working environment for researchers. Their temporary stay creates opportunities for innovative research programs that otherwise would be impossible.

The general aesthetic of the sculptural object resembles something from a science fiction movie. However, it is a functional work that serves as a research station. One of the groups occupying the space is CleanEra: technical university (TU) delft aerospace engineering students who are developing the ‘no noise, no carbon, just fly’ technologies for the future of flight.

For example, inside the object, students of the Technical University Delft will develop a program for the innovative flying of the 21st century: “no noise, no carbon, just fly”. The old runway is the perfect test site for state of the art aviation experiments.

The mobile sculpture and shelter 610 are perfect spaces for research, experiment and innovation for groups coming from various disciplines. The unconventional combination of nature and Cold War history offers an exciting environment for the development of knowledge about nature, technology and aviation.

Design team: Frank Havermans, Ronald Rietveld, Arna Mackic
Production leader: Koos Schaart productions
Location: Former Flight Base Soesterberg, The Netherlands
Client: CBK Utrecht, Vrede van Utrecht
Coordination: Ella Derksen

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and Studio Frank Havermans appeared first on Dezeen.

A mobile town square that packs into a miniature clock tower on the back of a bike will be appearing around north London this month (+ slideshow).

London agency Spacemakers enlisted design firms Studio Hato and Studio Kieren Jones to create the world’s first mobile town square for Cricklewood in north London. The intention of the project is to highlight the lack of green space and amenities in the community.

“Cricklewood is a community with no public space: no town hall, no library, no square, not even a single bench,” explained the designers. “The square will take the form of a civic folly on the back of a rickshaw bicycle, housing everything necessary to create a bona fide town square, including benches, stools, a clock tower, games and signage.”

The miniature square will be installed at a number of temporary locations, including outside a DIY superstore, on a pavement near a bingo hall and a rooftop car park. It will be used to host events for the local community such as dances and film screenings.

“The project aims to show what public space can do for a community, and how even these scraps of land can be used to create a sense of place,” said the designers.

When the town square is fully installed it covers 10 metres squared. The mobile folly including the bicycle is 1.22 metres wide and 2.8 metres long. It rises to 3.2 metres in height.

It has a custom-made five-wheeled base with 12 millimetre plywood covering, faux-brick cladding and a hand-made clock. Inside, there is a collection of furniture including umbrellas, benches, tables and chairs.

“The structure is both a practical solution – a vehicle to move the kit around – and a folly, providing a civic backdrop, helping to frame the spaces,” said designer Kieren Jones. “I hope this playful solution can be the town hall that Cricklewood never had.”

Cricklewood Town Square will be travelling around north London until 28 September. It will also be exhibited at the RIBA Forgotten Spaces exhibition at Somerset House in London, which runs from 4 October to 10 November 2013.

Designer Kieren Jones’ other projects include the Sea Chair project that trawls the oceans for plastic waste  to make furniture and a miniature factory to transform uneaten parts of a chicken into fashion items and products.

Other mobile architecture featured recently includes a tiny mobile performance stage based on sixteenth century market stalls and Roman fortune tellers and a quilted cube that is attached to the back of a tricycle.

See more mobile architecture »

Here’s a project description from Spacemakers:

Spacemakers produce the world’s first mobile town square

Spacemakers, the civic design agency behind the successful transformation of Brixton Village market, has enlisted Studio Hato and Studio Kieren Jones to create the world’s first mobile town square. Constructed from a clever kit of parts, the innovative town square will travel by bike and move across north London from 31 August to 28 September, inhabiting patches of disused land and turning them into vibrant public spaces for all.

Cricklewood, north west London, has an intriguing history but little civic amenities left to show for its heritage – not only is there no town hall or library, there’s not even a single public bench. Now the team that created the cult Brixton Village renaissance are turning their attentions north, seeking to highlight the dire lack of public space in Cricklewood via their ingenious mobile town square.

Designed and built by Studio Kieren Jones, the mobile town square will emerge in a series of forgotten spaces: from an unloved patch of grass next to B&Q, to an empty pavement outside a bingo hall, and even a rooftop car park. The square will take the form of a civic folly on the back of a rickshaw bicycle, housing everything necessary to create a bona fide town square, including benches, stools, a clocktower, games and signage.

To bring the Capital’s newest public space to life Londoners are invited to join in, with a dynamic programme of events running throughout the installation, from dog shows and chess championships, to tea dances and debates. Many of the events play on Cricklewood’s little known past, with film screenings on a car park roof referencing the area’s long lost film studios, and a DIY library where locals can read books by the town’s famous literary progeny.

Designer Kieren Jones explains: “In response to the relative lack of civic space in Cricklewood, I have created a miniature and mobile town hall, which will enable the activation of places and spaces within the town centre that have been previously underused. The structure will also house a set of bespoke furniture, using local suppliers, that can be flexibly deployed. The clock tower is a reference to the Smiths clock factory that used to exist in Cricklewood, and to the decorative clock that used to exist on Anson Road, but which was sold for scrap during the war.

The structure is both a practical solution – a vehicle to move the kit around – and a folly, providing a civic backdrop, helping to frame the spaces. Cricklewood has a thriving community, but no space for this community to exist. In a way, I hope this playful solution can be the town hall that Cricklewood never had.”

The fully installed space will be up to 10 metres squared, the mobile folly including the bicycle is 1.22m wide x 2.8m long x 3.2m tall and made from a bespoke, dip-coated 5-wheeled bike base, a steel frame, with 12mm plywood covering, faux-brick cladding (polyurethane, resin and brick dust) and a hand-made clock. The square’s furniture is made from a welded steel base, dip-coated in Cricklewood by local car-resprayers and finished with locally sourced, reclaimed wood.

Studio Hato were tasked with creating the signage and graphics for the square. Their solution was to come up with a DIY sign-making workshop, where local people could use stencils to create their own signs, and set their own rules, for the space.

A unique font, based on the standard British ‘transport’ font used on street signs across the country, has been created, and will be applied using stencils to pre-cut, temporary boards, with marker pens in official signage colours: blue, red, green and brown. Wayfinding signs will also be created, pointing towards the square, and re-positioned each time the square moves.

For Spacemakers it’s the incidental activities which take place on the structure which will be the most fascinating element of all, as project director Tom James reveals: “It’s these unplanned elements that will really generate the social life of these squares, attracting passers by. Our project is all about giving local people permission to sit, rest, play and meet in these spaces. This free, public space, open to everyone, is vital to making any place feel like a real community.”

James notes that the project aims to show people what’s possible, even in these scraps of land, but more than this, it aims to start a conversation. “We hope to use this project to get an idea into Cricklewood, to set a precedent that local people can use to help them work towards a permanent public space. The structure will stay in the community long-term: but just as important is the inspiration.”

Cricklewood Town Square is funded by the Mayor’s Outer London Fund, as part of a set of interventions in Cricklewood, led by Gort Scott Architects.

Cricklewood Town Square director Tom James is a writer and urbanist. His previous projects include GO, a cult fanzine about Sheffield which was named as one of Britain’s Top Ten Arts Secrets by the Observer, featured at the Venice Biennale for architecture in 2006, and is part of the V&A’s Permanent Art Collection; and Sheffield Publicity Department, an imaginary tourist board for Sheffield.

Kieren Jones is a designer and maker. His award winning work includes the Sea Chair project, a method of harnessing waste plastic in the oceans to make furniture, and the Blue Fence project: a proposal to reuse olympic fencing to create social furniture. In 2006, his ‘Flatpack Rearranged’ project, repurposing Ikea furniture, gave rise to the ‘Ikea Hacking’ subculture. Kieren leads the Materials Futures MA course at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.

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by Spacemakers appeared first on Dezeen.

This micro house in Beijing by Chinese architect Liu Lubin comprises three cross-shaped modules that can be flipped around to turn a living room into an office or bathroom (+ slideshow).

Designed as both architecture and furniture, the modules are constructed to a minimum size with just enough room for sitting, sleeping or preparing food.

The cross-shaped profile creates worktops along two edges of the space, while square windows hinge open at either end and double up as entrances.

Studio Liu Lubin used a fibre-reinforced foam composite for the structure of the modules, making them light enough to lift. This allows residents to rotate the rooms if they need to swap simple shelves for a desk or sink.

The three modules of this house contain a bedroom, a bathroom and a small office. Lubin explains that more could be grouped together to make larger dwellings, or even neighbourhoods.

The modules are designed to fit neatly into shipping containers and can transported to different locations. Their minute size also allows them to bypass current restrictions governing private homes in China.

Lubin developed the concept as part of a research project at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Other small modular homes featured on Dezeen include a one-person cabin by Renzo Piano and a tiny floating house. See more micro homes.

Here’s a project description from Liu Lubin:

Micro House in Tsinghua

The Micro House is based on the minimum space people need for basic indoor movement, such as sitting, laying and standing. The form of the Micro House is designed to act as a combination of furniture and architecture elements.

When being rotated, the unit of the Micro House will shift its space which contains all kinds of housing activities, such as resting, working, washing and cooking, etc.

The Micro House units can not only be used as single-function rooms, but also can be grouped together as a housing suite, or even residential cluster.

The main material of the Micro House is the fibre-reinforced foam composite structure, which is light but strong. In this case, the Micro House unit can be easily lift and assembled by hand. For the convenience of transportation and replacement, the size of the unit is designed as the size of containers.

The Micro House makes it possible for people to have private housing product under current Chinese land policy.

Project: Micro House in Tsinghua
Location: Beijing
Designer: Studio Liu Lubin
Project Team: Liu Lubin, Wang Lin, Weng Jia, Wang Xiaofeng, Wan Li, Liang YIfan, Zhao Ye
Constructor: Architectural Design & Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO.LTD, Nanjing University Of Technology Advanced Engineering Composites Research Centre
Structure Type: fibre-reinforced foam composite structure

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by Studio Liu Lubin appeared first on Dezeen.

These conceptual office units by American designer Victor Vetterlein are designed to be bought up by companies and sent out to employees’ back gardens so they can work from home.

MOSS, which stands for Micro Office Systems Space, is described by Victor Vetterlein as a “self-contained auxiliary office unit” for working from home.

Companies would lease or buy the units and transport them to employees’ homes to be set up in their garden, drive or even on the roof of their house, allowing them to avoid the daily commute.

“MOSS provides each employee with a direct visual, audio, and data link to the main office and also a professional environment to hold small business meetings,” says Vetterlein. “The user of MOSS feels a good separation from home and work life while not having to commute to the office.”

The four-metre-long prefabricated unit would be transported on a flatbed truck, lifted with hooks that screw into the frame and then bolted down onto concrete foundation pads on site.

The octagonal aluminium exterior would protect the unit from rain, snow and high winds. “The exterior of MOSS is hard edged to form a protective shell against the outside world,” says Vetterlein. The “bunker-style” birch plywood interior is by contrast “soft, warm, and welcoming,” he adds.

To keep costs down, the basic unit wouldn’t include running water or a toilet, but could be expanded by just under a metre to fit a portable toilet, a small kitchen and a waste water tank.

The unit would be warmed by energy-efficient underfloor heating and a wood stove, with solar panels on the roof providing electricity. The roof would also be able to support a wind turbine.

We’ve featured lots of other projects by Vetterlein, including an edible desk lamp, a chair with razor-thin legs and a lamp made out of egg boxes.

Other pre-fabricated buildings we’ve published on Dezeen include a tiny guest house that took just four minutes to put together and a row of homes with facades that look like numbers.

See all our stories about offices »
See all our stories about conceptual architecture »

Here’s some more information from the designer:

Introducing a design proposal by Victor Vetterlein for a self-contained auxiliary office unit called MOSS (Micro Office Systems Space). In a world where one can be at any location on the planet and at the same time be connected at all levels to a central office with the touch a finger, MOSS offers businesses an alternative to the traditional office type model. The octagonal prefabricated and portable office design incorporates the latest communication technology to provide a seamless and secure connection from MOSS to the main office while utilising green building technology and harnessing the power of alternative energy.

Above: floor plan A

Why is there a need for MOSS and how might it play a role in solving that need? Millions of people commute to work each day only to sit in an office cubicles working at their computers with little to no contact with their business associates. Increasingly congested roadways from daily commuters and the subsequent environmental damage from automobiles coupled with the happiness and well being of employees in relation to their increased productivity suggests that we must start to look for alternative strategies to the current office work model. For businesses that have individuals on a leave of absence with newborn children as well as employees who do not have to be in the office on a daily basis, MOSS may be one viable solution.

Above: floor plan B

The general idea is that a company leases or buys a number of units of MOSS, transports these units to the home of employees to be set up in their driveway, backyard, or even on their rooftop. MOSS provides each employee a direct visual, audio, and data link to the main office and also a professional environment to hold small business meetings. The user of MOSS feels a good separation from home and work life while not having to commute to the office.

Above: section A

The shape of MOSS is inspired by the octagon as seen in mathematics and premium vintage architecture. A stretched octagon is used in both plan and section of the design. The angled exterior surface of MOSS helps shed water and snow, divert high winds, and aid in cooling process through natural ventilation by letting air in the lower sides of the structure and venting out through the roof and the skylight. On a more expressive level, the exterior of MOSS is hard edged to form a protective shell against the outside world. Whereas, the interior of MOSS is soft, warm, and welcoming utilizing bleached birch faced plywood and colourful seating cushions. MOSS is ‘bunker’ type architecture meant to provide a secluded and peaceful space in dynamic and fast paced world.

Above: section B

MOSS is designed to be prefabricated and portable. The design is to be fabricated at a production facility, transported by flatbed truck trailer to the designated location, lifted off the flatbed by hoisting straps, and bolted to concrete foundation pads. In order to transport on public roadways with limited restrictions, the height and width of MOSS fall within roadway maximum limits of 8’-6” (259cm). The standard length of MOSS is 13 feet (396cm) so that two units can fit on one trailer. Four rooftop eye-hooks screw into the structural frame to make lifting an easy process. Rooftop vents and accessories are detachable from MOSS for transporting unit to the setup site. Since MOSS is designed to be an auxiliary office space operating adjacent to a home or office building, the basic design does not include a toilet or running water to save on costs. However, the design may be stretched 3 feet (91cm) for an overall length of 16 feet to accommodate a portable toilet, kitchenette with a sink, and a waste water holding tank.

Above: section C

In order for MOSS to be available for the marketplace in the near future with minimal design development costs, the unit utilises green construction practices and materials currently available in the building construction industry. The main structural frame is made from laminated tree farm wood with steel connection plates. Inside the main frame are structural insulated panels (SIPs) made of oriented strand board sheathing and foam core. The exterior envelope is made of aluminium composite panels (ACP) mounted on a waterproof membrane. The exterior shell of MOSS is super insulated and weather tight for energy efficiency.

Above: section D

MOSS uses alternative energy to power the unit and green design approaches to conserve energy. While incorporating a traditional electrical wiring system in the design as a backup, the unit is wired with low voltage electrical connections. The under floor radiant heating system as well as the built in LED lighting uses low voltage power connections. MOSS design accessories include a wood stove using fuel logs made from compressed kiln dried wood waste, solar panels, an entry porch that provides structural support for a wind turbine, power storage batteries, and lockable louvred shutters. To help cool the structure in hot weather, the solar panels are mounted a few inched above the roof with brackets to shade the roof and allow for air circulation. A skylight has been added to aid in interior ventilation and to provide ample desktop lighting during the day lit hours.

There are many other possible uses for MOSS besides a business oriented auxiliary office space. For example, the design could be used in educational settings where MOSS is used as a satellite classroom and testing center for a number of students in a given area. A digital access code would allow access by students to the unit on a pre-arranged schedule. Computer and communication development over the past few decades has created a new business environment where everyone can be linked to their main office regardless of where they are in the world. MOSS will play a key role in the next generation of office life.

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by Victor Vetterlein appeared first on Dezeen.