And...a cool find from www.shedworking.co.uk
TINY, TOKYO-BASED, CLUSTER SHEDS/CABINS
These might be a little tiny for most, but the idea, and one not all that new, is pretty cool. I've often talked about this in response to people who say that the cabins I've built are too small, carry too few amenities, and just aren't logical for actual use. Most people also exclaim "but there's no bathroom!"- well, do like the majority of the world (not the US) and build a seperate outhouse or facility- problem solved. Or just add a tiny composting, sawdust toilet in one of them. You could clearly do the same with another mini kitchen outbuilding, and so on- or just cook outdoors. What people fail to realize is that I only have so much yard space, money, time, and energy, and that I build my little cabins as recycled-material examples of WHAT could be done with junk- I'm hoping, with them, to convey the ideas and approaches, more than "You must live in this 30 square foot cabin". I also already have my own small/modestly sized home, and 250 square foot Vermont Cabin, so there's no need to build anything "BIG" yet. I am, however, in the process of designing a REALLY easy to build, and affordable vacation cabin that is roughly 10' by 10'- which has a cooking area, a sleep bunk, and a tiny, tiny, bathroom. No billiards room though!
Anyway, I like the way this guy is thinking, although he'll be the recipient of critique, no doubt, from those who misread the message. Here's a guy who is DEFINITELY keeping it simple!
Again, I first saw this on Alex Johnson's very cool blog SHEDWORKING, which is definitely worth your time....and here's the info Alex offered up...
This is a design from Atelier Ichiku that he simply dubbed "The Cabins". These four mini sheds were built for a Japanese writer so that he could work in one (which features a desk and shelf), use another as a lavatory, the third as a prayer room and the final one as storage. Each cabin is 90cm wide with a porthole window but they each have various depths, as Architectural Review recounts (using lots more photos too).
I say, in terms of both sides of this...
THE PROS- small, EASY to build, VERY portable, affordable, you're forced out of doors more- in a day and age where people spend too much of their lives inside, easy to replace or fix if damaged or vandalized.
THE CONS- getting from one to another when its raining, insulating them would lose further interior space (in such a small and confined area even losing a few inches of space would be noticeable), anchoring them and keeping them from blowing over- they seem so narrow and top heavy (this could be remedied easily though).
Either way, it certainly is a visually intriguing design!
