Layfhakersky mini house "Diogenes" - will give you what you really need, and no more
A Life / / December 19, 2019
Campus Vitra - a unique architectural and design objects collected at the same site, near the German town of Weil am Rhein. Until recently, there were about ten campus buildings, and now visitors can get acquainted with the new achievement of engineering. On a hill between the showroom VitraHaus (Herzog & de Meuron Bureau, 2010) and the geodesic dome of Buckminster Fuller (on campus since 2000) by the Italian architect Renzo Piano (Renzo Piano) built the smallest building Vitra - house "Diogenes".
Development of "Diogenes"
As acknowledged by Renzo Piano, the idea of a small, but functional property - his obsession with another student. After all, it takes the young man? A small room, two by two, a bed, a chair and a table. Over the years, the architect attempted to build such a minimalist house, but none of them did not succeed. Until finally, Piano seriously took up the realization of his dreams.
So in 2009 in the pages of one of the Italian magazine there was a project of the wooden square (2.4 x 2.4 m) house, a height of a little more than two meters, called "Diogenes". Thanks to this publication, Renzo Piano has found a partner for the realization of their ideas - Rolf Fehlbaum, chairman of «Vitra AG». As a result, in the summer of 2010 Renzo & Rolf have agreed to work together.
And now, three years later, the prototype of a minimalist home, "Diogenes," presented at the Vitra site.
The concept of a mini-house
The basis of the idea of a simple, fits well into the environment of the house - the ancient concept of the architect and theoretician Vitruvius. It was he who proposed the hypothesis about the origin of architecture, and also described the basic concepts of proportionality and human buildings. The concept of the Roman scholar were picked up by the architects of the XVIII century, and since the creation of minimalist house - the dream of many architects.
A "Diogenes" - it's a dream "hermit". It is light and warm in any weather, regardless of the existing nearby infrastructure, as it is completely self-contained self-sufficient system. The house collects water itself, cleans it and puts into reuse, and itself supplies itself with energy. This is very important, since we live in an era of dwindling natural resources and the need to think about the fate of future generations, while minimizing its harmful effects on the environment. In addition, modern people too many things, but everything necessary for life would be quite fit in a small house, like "Diogenes". According to Piano, "Diogenes" give your tenant what he really needs, and no more.
Hence the name in honor of the ancient philosopher Diogenes, who preached asceticism, despised luxury and lived, according to legend, in pithoi (cask wine).
For architectural foundation Renzo Piano took hut "Kabanon", built in France in the early 1950s, a pioneer of modernism architect Le Corbusier, as well as the work of Charlotte Perryan and Kisho Kurokawa.
The device "Diogenes"
"Diogenes" - a minimalist autonomous and independent from the environment housing. In the form he assembled covers an area of 2.5 by 3 meters, making it easy to transport to any place, plunging onto the truck. On the face of "Diogenes" - usually a small house, but inside - it is technically complex construction, equipment and facilities that ensure its autonomy. Thus, the house is equipped with photovoltaic cells, solar modules, rainwater storage, toilets and natural ventilation.
Inside the "Diogenes" has everything you need for life. The front part of the house is the living room, where on the one hand is worth sofa bed, and on the other by the window - folding table. Behind a partition there are shower, toilet and kitchen, also equipped with all the necessities. Incidentally, the wooden furniture is not just a part of a mini-house, and a unified structure with it.
Outside the house is lined with aluminum panels, so that the "Diogenes" fears neither snow nor rain. The top of the roof of the structure resembles an ordinary village house, but the rounded corners and solid cladding facade gives it a very modern look.
The future of "Diogenes"
"Diogenes" - not just a mini-house, and technically and aesthetically perfect architectural object, the perfect place for the creative life of one man. Of course, "Diogenes" was not created to take guests or partying, but, according to the creators, he has a great future, because this mini-house can be a little "dacha" house, business or personal cabinet; it can be placed in a quiet place in nature and in the city, not far from the office. In addition, several of these homes can be made smaller hotels or camping-parking.
And although to date "Diogenes" - just a prototype mini-home, Vitra expects to use it to assess the potential minimalist trends in design and architecture, and Renzo Piano - to establish industrial production of such houses.
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