The former hat shop has been converted for the life of a single or a young couple. It has a bedroom with a hatch in the floor and a separate floor for washing.
The narrowest house in the British capital was put up for sale for £ 950 thousand (1 million euros).
Built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the house is located in London’s Shepherd’s Bush. Initially, the building housed a hat shop, upstairs there were living rooms. The building is only 5.5 feet wide, or just over 1.6 meters, and the living area is 96 “squares”. The house is literally squeezed between two other buildings and stands out against their background only in the blue color of the facade.
Now in the basement there is a kitchen and a dining area, on the first there is an entrance group, on the second there is a bedroom, an office and a terrace. The third floor is occupied by a bathroom with a bath and shower, on the fourth there is another bedroom with a double bed in full width. You can climb from the second floor to the third through a spiral staircase, and to the upper bedroom through a hatch in the floor.
The house is worth the money, Dawn quotes the words of David Myers, the realtor of the Winkworth company, which is selling the object. The realtor notes the historical value of the property. An unusual lot is suitable for one person or a young couple, Myers said.
In the description of the object on the website of the real estate agency, it is noted that the space of a narrow house is organized no less comfortably than on an expensive yacht. Advantages of the property include antique parquet flooring, original bathroom decor, quality engineering, a private patio and a private roof terrace.
According to Knight Frank statistics, in 2020, against the backdrop of the pandemic, there was a twofold drop in demand for housing in London. In the spring and summer, a record price decline was also recorded in the local market.
Anyone who dreams of their own home, first of all, wants to see the project of an aesthetically attractive home. The easiest way to make your home spacious and sophisticated at the same time is to create a house project with a second light. What is a second light in a home project? Should I provide for it?
The absence of overlapping between floors does not always mean that the project includes a staircase. If in the project the interfloor overlap covers about half of the area of the first floor, this means that the house has a room with a second light.
In all house projects, a room with a second light is illuminated through windows located on the first and second floor levels. The concept of “second light” means the presence of windows of an additional upper tier in the same room. Double-height spaces are distinguished not only by high ceilings. They have much more natural light and air.
Variants of using a double-height room in projects are limited by the function of a common room. Any ceremonial hall plays such a role, for example, a living room, a dining room, a library.
History of second light technology
A double-height space is a long-familiar architectural and planning technique in residential building projects. Its prototype is considered to be an atrium in an antique residential building, and the time of its appearance can be traced back to the period when, during the era of the Roman Empire, they learned to make glazed windows. They were used for glazing the ceiling (and not the walls of the second tier, as in our time) to illuminate the front room from above.
In the Middle Ages (VI-XII centuries), with the appearance of colored stained-glass windows, not only the second light, but also the third one appeared in the dwellings. The premises became so high that they had a platform at the top for holding knightly tournaments during unfavorable weather conditions. But halls with a lot of natural light were only in the palaces of nobles and aristocrats.
In the era of Gothic architecture (XII-XIV century), the technology of the second light reached its climax. Building technologies now made it possible to erect high floors through the use of columns with buttresses – additional supports. The space between the windows was filled with colored stained-glass windows on religious themes. The architects made natural light colored, and the space became extremely bright and delicate. Only the wealthiest people in the city could afford such housing.
The classical period (XII-XIV century) proved to be the most suitable for the use of the second light. At this time, thanks to the variety of design possibilities, various options for its use began to appear – in a suite, in a space with the use of stairs and mezzanines of the upper tiers, for improved illumination of round halls and rooms. From that moment on, the architecture of the double-height rooms was constantly supplemented and complicated.
Pros and cons of second light
Dignity
High ceilings that everyone who lives in standard apartments wants to have.
The lighting system incorporated in the project, which will allow large quantities of sunlight to enter the room. This will be especially appreciated by those who are used to living in an apartment with windows on one side.
An opportunity to create a project with interesting architectural forms, original design, attractive artificial lighting.
Possibility to complete a project with an unusual facade architecture.
Disadvantages
Loss of usable area. But if the issue of a deficit of usable area is not worth it, then this drawback in the project can be disregarded.
The need to develop a special heating system in the project – floor heating, thermal insulation of the ceiling and walls, non-standard placement of radiators.
Household difficulties associated with the maintenance of a high room (the need to wash high windows and lighting fixtures, difficulties in placing textile decor on the windows).
Large expenses for arrangement and maintenance.
Output
The second light is a way available to many to make their home not only large and spacious, but also luxurious, similar to a palace from the past. This is a sign of the material well-being of the owners. It doesn’t matter which design you choose – aristocratic medieval or chic classic, ultra-modern high-tech or cozy chalet – this architectural technique will help to create an atmosphere of grandeur.
The Rotterdam architecture firm Powerhouse Company has unveiled Valckensteyn, an eco-friendly home that will be Holland’s largest wooden residential building. The project was developed by order of the Woonstad Rotterdam corporation.
Valckensteyn is a 12-storey building 40 meters high. The main material of all floors, except for the first one, will be multilayer glued wood panels. No glue will be used to connect them. This will allow the house to be dismantled if necessary and reassembled elsewhere.
The construction is supposed to be erected in the Rotterdam district of Pedrecht, on a site where a residential complex was previously located. The foundations left over from a building demolished ten years ago will form the basis for Valckensteyn.
It was possible to adapt the old supporting structure for the installation of a twelve-storey building due to the relatively small mass of wood panels. This will reduce not only the cost of finance and time, but also the volume of greenhouse gas emissions accompanying the construction.
The stability of the new house will be ensured by the first floor and the central core made of concrete. The lobby of the building will be faced with travertine, a rock that used to be often used to decorate buildings in the area. According to the architects’ plan, the ground floor of Valckensteyn will house a large, cozy living room “the most beautiful bicycle parking place in Rotterdam”.
“Woonstad Rotterdam as part of the Valckensteyn project has set itself the goal of creating affordable, sustainable housing for middle-income families,” explains Robbert Greneweld, Senior Project Manager. “Woonstad’s commitment to timber construction has been translated into a design that combines sustainability, living comfort and unity with nature.”
Each of the 82 apartments in the house will receive floor-to-ceiling windows and a west-facing loggia. The landscape around the building, designed by LAP Landscape & Urban Design, offers a wide variety of vegetation. The residential complex’s car park, which will look like a living green carpet, will be lined with cement-free paving stones and equipped with a water filtration system.
Construction on the Valckensteyn home is expected to begin in January 2022.
Are you dreaming of an austere, light-filled interior with lots of metal, wood and glass?
Therefore, you will definitely like the original and modern loft-style living room. What are the features of this style? Which industrial furniture and accessories to choose?
How was the loft style created?
A similar style originated in the United States as early as the 1940s. When abandoned and closed workshops and factories after the Great Depression, they began to be sold and offered as premises for home improvement.
Such tall and long workshops usually had brick walls, concrete floors, and floor-to-floor muntines. Open electrical wiring, various ventilation pipes, and elements of former units. They let in a lot of daylight (there was often no electricity in these buildings at the time).
Furniture
What kind of furniture should be put in such a living room? The loft is characterized by spaciousness. Often in such apartments the living room is organically combined with the kitchen. For this reason, furniture should correctly separate the recreation area from the “working” one.
A bet on a small amount of furniture. Instead of a small sofa and a few armchairs, opt for a long sofa. You should not put benches and coffee tables in such a living room. Match the loft-style furniture to your space. The smaller they are, the better, and the space will appear optically larger.
Choose simplicity, no decorative elements, bright colors, calm lines and solid wood, which will acquire even more character with age. It is good if your industrial furniture has a clear texture (visible rings, knot marks, sticky boards) and metal legs, handles or other elements. Wood products with the addition of metal will add lightness to such interiors. It can be any metal painted black, as well as copper, nickel and brass. Storing books, newspapers, and other small items requires sturdy solid wood shelves and wire baskets.
Living room
If you like these styles, then know that in such a living room there should not be too many decorations – after all, they were not in the old workshops and factories. In principle, these should have been typically functional rooms. Therefore, the design of an industrial showroom should be very thoughtful and not random.
Here you will be inspired by the steampunk style, which, like the lofts, has its roots in the 19th century – the era of steam engines. Steampunk relies on technological developments of those years, and its aesthetics refers to heavy machines and mechanisms. Modern writers, sculptors and inventors loved progress, machines and predicted the future of technology.
t is best if they are made of glass, metal, aluminum or plastic. You can find figurines of prototypes of cars, parts with gears. The wall can be decorated with vintage, abstract and fantastic graphics.
An expressive decoration will be a clock in the style of the 19th century or a round one, similar to a classic train station. Remember to be moderate in design. Up to five decorative accessories are enough.
If you are planning an industrial living room in an apartment building, make sure there is enough light. Mirrors hung on the wall perpendicular to or in front of a window will reflect it. This will make the room brighter and optically larger. Two mirrors are enough in the living room. More can overload the interior.
Lighting
During the day, light in the loft living room will be provided by large, necessarily protruding windows without curtains and mirrors on the walls. If you want more privacy, install wooden blinds.
It is not difficult to choose lamps for the living room. In the former workshops and factories, lighting was made from materials that were durable and resistant to mechanical damage. The shades were quite large, so that the light from one lamp illuminated a large area. In addition to pendant lights, there were also spot patterns that provided intense lighting. Tripod floor lamps were also popular. You can use all of these shapes in your living room. Their combination will give an interesting effect, especially when combined with brick walls.
As you can see, an industrial living room doesn’t have to be inaccessible or repulsive. Combined with the right accessories and wood furnishings for a cozy feel, it will contribute to a quality relaxation.
Prior to this, three other GDT demolition models were presented in the company’s offerings catalog, adapted to excavators with lighter weights of 20, 30 or 40 tonnes. The new GDT 590 Attachment Shears feature a 1.3 meter jaw opening, a 1.64 meter jaw depth and a front reach of more than 3.6 meters from the attachment axis (boom or stick). They can be used for tasks such as general demolition and demolition of bridges, concrete processing and C&D processing, as well as cutting structural steel, rebar, pipes and scrap metal. Genesis says they designed the Razer GDT 590 with a lightweight design weighing 6,849kg including a mounting bracket and to fit most standard excavators and long reach excavators. Features of the GDT include crushing teeth that can be rearranged from front to back and replaced, a top jaw that runs through the bottom jaw so materials can pass through and not get stuck, and a short flat head head and bolt-on bracket for easy installation. The crusher teeth and their arrangement can also be adapted to the project. The top of the 4-direction replaceable cutting blades pulls material deeper into the jaw for more efficient cutting, according to the company.
In China, after twelve years of construction, a hotel opened on the site of an abandoned quarry. The authors of the unusual building are the Chinese-British bureau Jade + QA. According to the architects, the concept of the building is inspired by the place itself and the surrounding landscape, and the structure is built according to the yin-yang principles, which are based on the balance of light and dark, heaven and earth.
Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel, located near Shanghai, sits at a depth of 88m (with the quarry half-filled with water) and descends 16 stories below ground level. The structure, completely made of glass and metal, consists of three volumes, which are tightly adjacent to the wall of the quarry.
The two lower floors of the building go under the water – they are equipped with a restaurant and additional rooms, from where you can see the underwater aquarium. The two upper ones, on the contrary, rise above the ground – there will be a reception, another restaurant, conference rooms. There is a swimming pool on one of the floors at the water level. The hotel has 337 rooms in total.
The central part of the complex is a glass tower that resembles a waterfall, especially with a spectacular night illumination. There is an elevator inside it, which connects all the buildings of the building, and on top is an observation deck. In addition, on the ground side, the hotel has an exploited roof, on which sports grounds and mini-gardens are equipped.
Thomas Heatherwick has transformed a Victorian coal depot in London’s King’s Cross, empty since the 1990s, into a new attraction, Coal Drops Yard. The renowned designer and architect has successfully completed his first major project in his firm’s home to the rapidly changing area of the British capital. And the famous platform 9-3/4 at the nearby historic train station has a serious competitor.
Two elongated brick volumes with the remains of old cast-iron railway overpasses stand at a short distance, but not parallel, but gradually approaching, which prompted the main idea. The intricate designs added by the architects make them literally reach for each other and ultimately unite in a sensual touch – almost a kiss. The cover was specially selected in blue-gray slate from the same Welsh quarries used on the original Victorian structures. Thanks to the unexpected curves of these seemingly most banal gable roofs, the covered central part of the entire cobbled public space of the shopping street is being formed.
The buildings of the coal warehouses built in 1850 have been restored in accordance with all restoration standards. Their autistic appearance was preserved as much as possible. Their two-level spaces with wide aisles have proven to be convenient to house more than 50 individual shops, studios, offices, workshops, restaurants and cafes. At the same time, almost all rental properties are individual and unique. They have already lost their desire to place their objects – COS, Aesop, Tom Dixon, Paul Smith, Fred Perry, Joseph Cheaney & Sons, Lavenham, American Vintage and many others. The suspended glazed room in the very heart of the complex will be occupied by Samsung.
In addition to the actual Coal Drops Yard shopping center, the Lower Stable Street area opened in parallel, which also became part of the quarter, but intended mainly for experimental brands, startups, workshops and cafes. So the project promises to become not just another mall, but an active social and creative place with its own unique, very mobile atmosphere and a vibrant program of events.
