has found 12 awe-inspiring houses to prove it. Fitting life within an arm span of space requires exceptional ingenuity and sound space planning. But these slim spaces show that a little problem solving can yield structures with unique beauty, inventive materials, and a quite a story. Take a look at residences that give "cozy"a new meaning.
Kanonia 20/22 (Warsaw, Poland)
Thriftiness gave rise to this slender 17th century house in one corner of Warsaw's Old Town Square. Four hundred years ago, the people of Poland were subject to a property tax based on the width of the street-facing facade and the number of windows on that side. Slightly wider than the door and with just two stacking windows, this building was a major money-saver. It was partially destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt in 1959 according to its original design.
Built on a trapezoidal plot just 2.5 feet wide at its narrowest point and under 10 feet on the widest edge, the plot's area certainly required a creative solution. Working in this space, architect Yasuhiro Yama s---a chose to make the house as long as possible with sides that slope up to meet at the top. The transparent walls are a clever touch, drawing in sunlight even into the basement.
Created by architects Pieter Peerlings and Silvia Martens of Sculp(It), this illuminated 7-feet-10-inches-wide structure is a marriage of work and play. Steel walls, glass windows and a black frame make each level a living shadowbox for working, eating, living, and sleeping, in ascending order. A tightly wound stainless steel staircase allows residents to move from level to level, and up to the terrace for sun-bathing on top. The glowing, voyeuristic design is a nod to this neighborhood's former trade, prostitution.
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