Automatic Mills Grain Silo Conversion / Prokš Přikryl architects (Czech republic)

So much old school brickwork and symmetrical design in this 100+ yr old bldg. Look for all the breaks in pattern, heavy & light, rhythm, solid & void.

Here’s slightly edited except from current architects: The Automatic Mills is one of the first buildings designed by the architect Josef Gočár. Standing on the banks of the Chrudimka River in the center of Pardubice, the monumental mill building was created in 1909 for the Winternitz brothers. In 1924, the complex was extended to include a grain silo. The automatic mills operated continuously for more than 100 years until 2013. Since 2016 it has acted as a cultural site. More here.

Guest House - Glenn Murcutt 1992 (Australia)

Below is an excerpt (via Atlas of Places) of Murcutt describing the transformation of this tiny dwelling.

“I had kept the building as I thought that one day I might restore it, making planning changes. It was a rural worker’s flat and tractor shed, located to the south and below the main house. At Christmas, this shed was the local dance hall. Some of the floor was propped in the 1930s and 40s. The old flooring boards are thick and oversized, with oil stains all over them. The shell was in a deteriorated condition.

I very much enjoyed taking an existing seat-of-the-pants farm shed, reusing materials and restoring and reworking some elements. And it is still a shed, but now very comfortable. All the material is reused from the shed or recycled from a pergola that was pulled down from the house. Inside, the original timber boards forming the walls have been sanded.

The small shower room and toilet are lined externally in Miniorb. The shower space works well. There is no corner mullion, and when the adjacent windows are open, the corner dissolves. With the windows open, you feel at one with the landscape.

I wanted to create as much space as possible and visually relate to the house and the landscape. For me there is an appeal in the minimalism which provides for the essence of living, using an existing shed with a clip-on shower room and toilet. It’s just one room, simple.”

SETH

Helping the lovely Manzella family build a bike shed when they lived in Lyons, CO. I still think about Seth nearly ever day.

Sjotime Crestone House

Long time best buddy and fellow designer, Dan Sjogren, is doing it - building a house in Crestone, CO (approx. 3 hrs. south of Denver). He’s using Faswall blocks (85% mineral wool/15% cement) for the wall system, PV to run power tools and eventually the house PLUS lots of hands on help from his nearby and close friend Macon. The lovely Jenny Thomas, the bread to his butter, is running loads of support from Denver and elsewhere.

Also, with a little encouragement ;) and a snowy Spring day, he managed to put together this blog documenting his project. Check it out.

Dan, we love you, Happy Birthday and we can’t wait to drink a coffee with you in/on or around your sweet house.

Vika One by Vika Living

Some interesting things about this 12’x12’ dwelling: kitchen, bathroom, living/bedroom space, minisplit, solar + battery option. Also looks like its base price is about $38,000 and ships most places in the lower 48 (US) for up to $3,000 and sets up in a day. Seems perfect for short term living or a good shelter while you’re making something larger. More information here.

Urban Camp by Felipe Campolina

Designed to be affordable building systems, easy to transport and assemble. These homes measure approx. 350 sq ft and can accommodate 4+ people. The structural system is scaffolding tubes/fittings with lumber crosspieces for panels (adding to the stiffness). Clear corrugated polycarbonate sheets cover the roof/walls - making it waterproof.

I could imagine these with insulated panels, solar and water collection systems and wood stoves as quick off-grid dwellings in rural, mt or urban settings. More here.