On the border between Greece and Turkey, you will find a Tiny House. This Tiny Home uses a system of pulleys to raise and lower sections of the walls of this cabin. This way you could open the holiday home to the outdoors or entirely close them during the rainy season. Cabin On The Border. Who designed it? The Turkish architecture studio SO? designed this cabin on the border. Studio SO? created the Tiny House for a couple with a young child. The couple lives in Istanbul, but they could use an escape on the weekends. The cabin is situated in the northwest of Turkey, near the Aegean Sea. They could stay there longer in the summer, but during the entire year, it needs to be a sanctuary. What Does It Look Like? {youtube}                                              Tiny House: Off-Grid Shelter With Walls That Open On Pulleys                          Cabin on the Border Amazing Flexible Off-Grid Retreat Set Among the Meadows of Turkey The cabin is only 18-square-metre and is produced at a factory, 300 kilometres from the current location. Can you get an idea of the holiday home? A laminated wooden frame, covered with stone wool insulation and birch plywood, contains a simple interior, consisting of a kitchen and a sitting area with raised beds, overlooking the garden. The cabin has tiny windows offering beautiful views of the surrounding landscape and lets daylight pour into the Tiny Home when the walls are closed. Recommended:  Tiny Houses And Cutting-Edge Architectural Ideas The Interior Inside the cabin, you will find a platform bed where you can look into a meadow via a large polycarbonate panel, which can be lifted by using a pulley. When you open the window, you will find a deck, formed by the outer plywood wall. This is a perfect way to watch the sunset. When there are bad weather conditions, you can close the plywood walls so that you can be one with nature, as a sailboat in the ocean. You can use the bed as a bench when you have dinner at the table that can be pulled down from the wall. You have sufficient storage space in the large drawers, integrated under the platform. There is enough space to sleep, and the kitchen is equipped with simple plywood elements that provide the necessary storage and worktop space. One door in the kitchen leads you to the bathroom. Using Pulleys To Manage The Tiny Home You use pulleys (or by hand) for everything in this cabin, as there is no source of power: using pulleys for the moving walls to have a great view, to open the windows for fresh air and daylight. And you use pulleys for all the furniture, to pull down the table from the wall, for example. Due to the simple design and the limited range of materials, the project could be realised for only 9,800 euros, including transport. Recommended:  Pin-Up House: A Way Of Living In Pink Did you find this an interesting article or do you have a question or remark? Leave a comment below. We try to respond the same day.

The Exbury Egg: a home or workplace shaped like an egg, built from natural resources and inspired by nesting seabirds. You might think you are dreaming, but it exists in the United Kingdom. An egg with the size of a small student dorm, created from wood, floating on the Beaulieu river in the UK. Are you familiar with this piece of art? ( Also interesting:  Tiny House Becomes Solar Water Collecting Off-grid Egg ) Exbury Egg, what is it? On the shore of the river Beaulieu, you will find a teeny tiny house called the Exbury Egg a flaoting off-grid workspace, designed by Stephen Turner. The artist created the egg with the help of PAD studios and SPUD design studios. Turner designed the egg as an artwork, a place where you both can work and sleep, a place to think, to explore life around you. The egg is a kind of boat, tethered in the Beaulieu river in Exbury, rising and falling with the tide. The Exbury Egg: a calendar of all seasons You can see the egg as a blueprint of life: an egg symbolises new life, renewal, protection and fragility. The cool thing about the egg is that it is made of wood, so it evolves and changes by time, as the wind scours it, and the sea bleaches it. How does it look like?
 {youtube}                                                          The Exbury Egg: Floating Off-Grid Workspace: UK You can see at the picture and clip above that it is an egg-shaped building. Inside you will find Turner’s collection of found objects, digital imagery of his surroundings and personal maps. The egg has all the necessities you need, such as a desk, a hammock to relax, a kitchen with a stove and sink. There is no running water, but the artist was smart to use a hosepipe. He made use of solar charges because there is also no electricity. Besides a workspace and a tiny home to stay, the Exbury Egg is also an educational tool, and local students are observing the design, the 'building', and the installation of the egg. ( Also intersting:  Tiny House As Egg-Shaped Wooden Pod: The Loire France ) An Egg-shaped building! What was Turner’s main goal? Turner wanted to develop something with natural elements so we can re-appraise the way we live. He hoped, with this egg-shaped building made out of wood, that we adequately consider sustainability as the future use of natural resources. The artist is interested in exploring a more empathetic relationship with nature, which shows the valuable and natural cycles and processes, and the relationship of the environment with the narratives of human activity. ( Also interesting:  The Sustainable Wikkelhouse Built In A Day: The Netherlands ) https://www.whatsorb.com/category/tiny-houses

A Dutch design firm has redefined living by creating a tiny house that doesn’t need a foundation, can be built in one day and is three times more sustainable than a normal house. The Wikkelhouse, designed by Fiction Factory in Amsterdam, is built by snapping multiple 1.2 meter (4 feet) wide sections together. Each section is made by wrapping a basic house shape with curved edges in 24 layers of cardboard that are glued together. The sections are then finished with waterproof, breathable foil and covered with a layer of wood paneling for extra protection. Wikkelhouse is a cutting-edge  sustainable house Using cardboard as its main building material, Wikkelhouse is a cutting-edge sustainable house with a beautiful design and exceptional constructive strength, the website explains. With the flexible construction process, a house can range from the standard order of three sections to as many as desired. Each section of the Wikkelhouse only weighs 500 kilos (1,100 pounds). It can be taken apart and moved easily when you want to relocate or remodel. You can place the house on the beach, in your backyard or even on top of a building, Fiction Factory boasts. Despite being lightweight, the Wikkelhouse is durable and has a minimum life span of 50 years. The wood outer layer is designed to protect the house from all types of weather elements and events . The cardboard layers also provide maximum insulation, cutting down on energy costs for the owner. The Wikkelhouse is designed to accommodate a kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms, making it fully functional. Customers can pick the inside wall and floor design as well as glazed or opaque facades. Fiction Factory only produces 12 homes a year to maintain optimum quality control, each selling for 25.000,00 Euros or around $28.000,00. There is a waiting list for orders. {youtube} https://www.whatsorb.com/solution/tiny-houses/tinyhouses

Dutch architectural firm +31Architects has designed a series of solar-powered houseboats, with plans to complete the first prototypes by the end of the year in partnership with German manufacturer WSM Die Wohnschiff-Manufaktur. Dubbed Naturecruiser and Waterloft, these innovative motorized floating homes are designed as fully equipped houseboats but with the added benefit of being able to cruise the surrounding lakes or rivers. Innovative  solar powered floating home According to +31Architects there is a growing market for this type of motorized floating home, which allows its habitants to enjoy the joys of sailing the waters without leaving their living room. The Naturecruiser and Waterloft can therefore be moored at a fixed berth, or the trusses can easily be unloaded, allowing the vessels to travel to nearby ports, marinas or larger lakes. "It all started with a dream to live on the water and at the same time have the opportunity to move at any moment to discover new places," Jorrit Houwert, architect at +31Architects tells New Atlas. "We wanted to create a modern houseboat that is at the same time a ship that distinguished itself by its natural appearance. We are proud that were able to create a slender monolithic shape, where the hull seamlessly changes into the roof, combined with its big windows and the natural wooden look!" Stepping away from traditional bulky houseboat designs, the Naturecruiser and Waterloft have adopted similar design features from larger luxury ships. Both concepts include a streamlined facade with rounded curves, wooden carpentry throughout and an aluminum hull to protect and preserve the vessel over time. Solar panels and solar collectors will be fitted on the roofs of the homes, which according to the designers can generate enough energy and warm water to render the houseboats fully self-sufficient when moored. The houseboat with hybrid electric- and hydrogen engine Photo by: + 31Architects The houseboats will be initially equipped with a hybrid electric engine, with plans to include a  hydrogen engine in future models. The onboard water and sewerage system takes water from the lake or river and is then filtered onboard with a purification system. "Our models for motorized houseboats are fully equipped within the available customizable length, including a hybrid electric propulsion, solar-panels, battery-pack, a pellet-powered underfloor heating system and ecological water treatment. Our goal is to also use as much as possible low impact (biological isolation) materials," says Houwert"Including solid wood and no EPS/XPS or mineral wools," adds Marcel Neugebauer, founder and CEO at WSM Die Wohnschiff-Manufaktur. Floating houses floorplan The 15-meter (49-ft) Naturecruiser features a compact floor plan and can host up to eight guests when cruising or 16 guests when moored. The 24-m (79-ft) Waterloft boasts a generous floorplan and includes clever storage space under the deck. Waterloft can host 25 guests when cruising or 50 guests when moored. The single–level motorized houseboats have a comfortable interior living space ranging between 50 sq m (538 sq ft) and 125 sq m (1,345 sq ft). Depending on the length of the model, the houseboats come with either two or three bedrooms; an open living room and kitchen; bathroom complete with sauna, shower and separate toilet; large roof and deck terraces; and all furnishings and equipment to live year-round on the boat. The floorplans and design of both homes feature large floor-to-ceiling windows throughout, allowing an abundance of natural light to filter through the home during the day. Guests can enjoy outward water views from almost every room on board or relax outdoors on the sunny roof terrace, semi-shaded front deck or small terrace located on the back deck. Photo by: + 31Architects Floating houses sales price "We believe that living on water could be a next step to combine areas which are under pressure from flooding into retention areas by managing it into liveable living areas without leaving a scar on the natural environment," says Houwert. "We have plans for more next-level designs, coming up with ways to live a sustainable life on water in an ecological way. Stay tuned!" Starting prices for the Naturecruiser and Waterloft are €535,000 (US$602,663) and €899,000 (US$1,012,700), respectively, and both versions can be modified to suit specific customer requests. There are also plans for a fixed mooring luxury version called Watervilla, which would be a 205-sq m (2,206-sq ft) floating home priced from €899,000 (US$1,012,700). WSM Die Wohnschiff-Manufaktur will build the first prototypes of the Naturecrusiser and Waterloft in Germany, with completion anticipated for the end of 2019. Sources:  +31Architects ,  WSM Die Wohnschiff-Manufaktur  via  Designboom https://www.whatsorb.com/category/tiny-houses

Joshua Woodsman, founder, architect and designer of the Pin-Up Houses, had the dream to build his own house. He believes every man shares this dream and wants to build his own home. Woodsman’s little house, a kind of cabin, is the place that meets all your dreams and wishes. His focus is on style, but at the same time, he also shows the functionality of the cabin. Woodsman shows that his cabin is really different from the rest. He illustrates this with his design down to the last detail. Pin-Up House! What is it? A Pin-Up House is similar to a Tiny House, yet easier to build and with attractive designs. They are typically small houses, built with sheer simplicity. These compact tiny houses offer a cosy environment, creating an intimacy that you will miss in a large house. These Pin-Up Houses are perfect for people looking for a smart, flexible, cost-effective and energy saving home. Small houses are less expensive and easier to build, heat, cool, clean and maintain. The Pin-Up Houses are easy to build because they have easy-to-follow-plans. The plans outline the whole process in detail. You can use a Pin-Up House as holiday accommodation, an office, a guesthouse or whatever you like. Tiny House or Pin-Up House? Living in a Tiny House or Pin-Up House is different than living in a normal home. It is an alternative way of living where people design and build compact, intelligent and mobile homes. Living in a Tiny House goes hand in hand with creativity and freedom. It offers a whole new lifestyle: You will get more space! More space in your wallet, to do stuff and to be less chaotic. Because the space is not that big, it will be easy to maintain and clean the space. A clean home means a happy mind. In addition, because you live smaller, you simply live cheaper, more economical and more consciously. And the best thing is that you can live wherever you like! You can take your home everywhere. Living on the road in your own home? Yes! This house, built on a flat trailer, can be driven on the road. ( Also interesting:  Tiny Houses Tips And Tricks: Minimalistic Living Experience ) Magenta Tiny House The Magenta Pin-Up House is built by Joshua Woodsman. The pink Magenta is proof of temporary independent housing, without the debts and loans of a ‘normal’ house. The Magenta is built on a flat trailer, it has a heat insulated wooden structure on all sides of the cabin. This sounds both nice and cosy in summer- and wintertime. Because of the large window, you will easily get enough sunlight into the living space. The Magenta is made of lightweight materials, spruce beams and waterproof plywood, so it is transportable. The flat trailer can be used as a porch, where you can drink your morning coffee or read the newspaper. {youtube}                              Pin-Up House: A Way Of Living In Pink.  Magenta Tiny House - Pin-Up Houses Interior The pink Magenta has a built-in kitchenette, a sofa, heating stoves, and a chemical toilet. Do you ever wonder how all of this fits in a small cabin? this all fits in these cabins? The Pin-Up Houses make convenient use of storage space. They created space to use built-in furniture in the cabin to store things in there. Stretched nets hang from the ceiling, so you can hang or place things in them that you do not use every day. Better for you and the earth? There are a few things a Pin-Up House offers which a normal house does not offer. For example, if you live in a small home wherever you like, you can opt for nature. You feel more connected with nature because you are more surrounded by it. The house has not a great impact on the earth, because you will consume less. It is all about to settle for less, what really matters. We live in a consuming society: everything has to be expensive and big, labelled with a brand. But if you think about what is really important, that you can live with less, you will get a different view on life. You can live in a sustainable way and thus contribute to a better world. https://www.whatsorb.com/category/tiny-houses