Skinniest House in the World

 

Construction is expected to begin September of this year on what may be considered the skinniest house in the world. Designed by Jakub Szczęsny of Centrala, Keret House will be 4 feet at its widest and 28 inches at its narrowest.

The house will have a simple tri-dimensional steel frame finished with plywood, insulated sandwich panels and styrofoam covered with concrete cloth. Electricity will be generated from a neighboring building, and the independent plumbing designed after boat sewage technology. To save space, the entry stairs will fold up and flatten, becoming part of the first floor at the press of a button.

The residence, created for Israeli writer Etgar Keret, will be located in a crack between two buildings in Warsaw, Poland in the district of Wola. Because it does not meet Polish building code, Keret House is recognized as an "art installation." However, it will serve as both a home and a space conductive to creative work conditions -- a "significant platform for world intellectual exchange. The house is to be a "studio for invited guests -- young creators and intellectualists from all over the world."

Maximum Security Design: The Safe House and its Movable Walls

This maximum-security home just outside of Warsaw is literally an impenetrable concrete block with movable walls. At the touch of a button, the Safe House can open up and reveal the windows and doors or close completely so that onlookers can only see the house's exoskeleton and thick walls that surround the property. When it is in an open state, a draw bridge lowers, connecting the home to its adjacent indoor swimming pool. Architect Robert Konieczny of KWK Promes and his collaborators designed this home in response to the client's interest in creating a feeling of maximum security.