Mini House
by Alejandro Bahamón
Harper Collins, 2003
Comments: I've always been fascinated by minimalist architecture, particularly with regard to residential dwelling. The merits of thinking small in home design are many, with economy of construction, reduced energy consumption, and lower maintenance being key advantages, but living comfortably on a small footprint also requires serious concessions to space utilization. For practical reasons it is absolutely essential to achieve a high level of efficiency in building design, as well as a sense of aesthetic value to help users bond with such intimate spaces. This book presents a collection of exemplary projects from around the world that largely succeed in finding the right balance of the Vitruvian ideals -- firmness, commodity, and delight -- in unusually small, but elegant homes.
Most of the projects are quite different, each being driven by its own regional influences of landscape, weather, and materials. Not all of the projects are based on the strictest economy, with some using rich materials in modest ways for aesthetic advantage. But they are all innovative, elegant, and inherently livable designs where one can easily imagine thriving, not in spite of their small scale, but indeed because of it. This is a wonderful dream book for anyone intrigued by the idea of finding extreme simplicity and beauty in a home. Of the many architectural books I own, this is one of my favorite.
Copy Notes: Hardback, first edition, color photos, floor plans, and diagrams
by Alejandro Bahamón
Harper Collins, 2003
Comments: I've always been fascinated by minimalist architecture, particularly with regard to residential dwelling. The merits of thinking small in home design are many, with economy of construction, reduced energy consumption, and lower maintenance being key advantages, but living comfortably on a small footprint also requires serious concessions to space utilization. For practical reasons it is absolutely essential to achieve a high level of efficiency in building design, as well as a sense of aesthetic value to help users bond with such intimate spaces. This book presents a collection of exemplary projects from around the world that largely succeed in finding the right balance of the Vitruvian ideals -- firmness, commodity, and delight -- in unusually small, but elegant homes.
Most of the projects are quite different, each being driven by its own regional influences of landscape, weather, and materials. Not all of the projects are based on the strictest economy, with some using rich materials in modest ways for aesthetic advantage. But they are all innovative, elegant, and inherently livable designs where one can easily imagine thriving, not in spite of their small scale, but indeed because of it. This is a wonderful dream book for anyone intrigued by the idea of finding extreme simplicity and beauty in a home. Of the many architectural books I own, this is one of my favorite.
Copy Notes: Hardback, first edition, color photos, floor plans, and diagrams
