And you thought your lot was skinny? ISA’s Tiny Tower residence fills leftover plot in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania architecture studio ISA has designed a slender 5 story house in a developing Philadelphia neighborhood, as a housing prototype for tiny vacant lots.
ISA’s narrow Tiny Tower is built like a mini-skyscraper, using a steel-reinforced wood frame that is clad in painted metal across its exterior. Windows take up large portions of the street facade.
Each of the levels is designed to suit different functions, with the floor space totaling 1,250 square feet (116 sq. meters).
Utilizing compact vertical circulation, Tiny Tower maximizes the entire property’s footprint in both length and height. The house is 12 feet (3.6 meters) wide, 29 feet (8.8 meters) deep, and 38 feet (11.5 meters) tall.
The project is located in Philadelphia’s Brewerytown, which is currently undergoing revitalization as new buildings infill vacant lots.
Tiny Tower serves as a prototype for flexible-use buildings on small urban plots. Early waves of redevelopment tend to take advantage of sites with standard dimensions, but the area’s urban grid includes many under-utilized extra small parcels facing alley streets.
The tiered structured stands out from its neighbors, which include parking lots and the gardens of adjacent houses. Rather than a yard, Tiny Tower features a lower level window garden, a second level walk out terrace and a roof deck. The design promotes vertical living for both indoor and outdoor space. The ground floor sits slightly below grade, so the building’s height is not too obtrusive on the surroundings. A further basement level allows for enough living space within the volume squeezed onto the tight plot.
Unlocking the development potential of these tiny sites is critical as the city looks to increase its supply of low-cost housing for a diverse range of lifestyles. A folded-plate steel staircase at the front of the house connects all five levels, while a separate exterior stair provides access to the roof.
The lowest level accommodates a kitchen and bathroom. Above, the main entrance opens to the living room a few steps down. The third floor is used as an office, with two desks across from one another and a small balcony.
The top two stories each house a bedroom and bathroom, and the roof terrace provides extra living space when the weather is nice.
White walls, light wood floors and ample natural light create an airy backdrop inside. All-white furnishings are used sparingly, for a spacious rather than cramped feel.
ISA has also created two other residential projects in Philadelphia: a white townhouse with a plywood core and a housing complex clad in brick, wood and metal.
As land in cities becomes increasingly scarce, architects are coming up with clever solutions to fill in any urban gaps. Other houses that make the most of their tiny plots include a “starter” home with a jagged roofline in New Orleans by OJT, a white house in Brasília by Bloco Arquitetos, and a gabled black residence in Vancouver by D’Arcy Jones Architecture.
Custom made beds aren’t for everyone. But if you’re a handy DIY’er or happen to know a good carpenter, they can be a great option for a kids room. Custom made beds allow you to make the most of the space you have, allows for extra storage, are ideal in shared rooms and they can be space saving in small or awkwardly shaped rooms. The benefits are endless and while they require more effort than a shop bought bed, they are totally worth it in the end.
This is an easy to recreate idea for a shared room or even for one child. The beds take up as little space as possible and there is accessible storage under the bed. Living the minimal look which is both practical and stylish. And the best part is that when your kids outgrow the room or want separate rooms, this bed goes back to being a beautiful storage cabinet.
Bunk beds are always a fun idea. It’s a simple design that doesn’t take much space and we love how light it looks. Bunk beds can sometimes look bulky and heavy but here the use of plywood and having just a mattress on the floor as the second bed, makes this one blend in beautifully.
Bunk beds don’t always have to be for two. A single high bed is great for making the most of floor space like in the room above. Besides the bed, there’s so much more to love about this room. Plywood is used to create a cozy reading nook and divider – the other side is the sibling’s room. One room has been cleverly been divided so each child gets their own space.
Making single plywood beds is yet another idea and it’s especially appealing as they are much easier to make than bunk beds. The design you go for can be anything but here are two beds that are so simple in design, yet so beautiful. One is a plywood box with wheels, making it very practical as a spare bed that can easily be moved around from room to room. And the other is a box with a platform to place a mattress on. If you wanted, you could easily turn the box part into storage for toys or books.
General Porpoise, known for its luscious sugar-coated doughnuts oozing with fillings like lemon curd, strawberry rhubarb jam, and vanilla custard, recently opened at 401 1st Ave. S in the Merrill Building, at the corner of 1st Ave. S and S Jackson St. With 30 seats, the shop will serve the pastries fans have come to know and love. The new shop’s next-door neighbor is Flora and Henri, the home of bespoke products for children, women, and home, whose bright, airy, whimsical aesthetic perfectly suits Erickson’s Sea Creatures group and the duo’s design firm, Price Erickson. The cafe is gorgeous with soaring, large-timber ceilings, white brick walls against bright magenta accents, a meeting room, and a marching troop of papered-elephant lanterns by local artist Jeffry Mitchell, as well as massive windows to let in light and show off the interior. When in Seattle, pay a visit.
Loving this beautiful blush trend for a kids room. Blush has a softness, a warmth and calmness all in one which is so perfect for a kids room. Blush mixes well with lots of colors, but works best with monochromes, greys and greens. Alternatively, the wall to wall blush color is perfect for a bedroom.
Beautiful Musings 