Last year, we brought you images of what was planned to be the world’s narrowest house: The Keret House, in Warsaw, Poland.
Well, against the odds, this skinny project has actually come to see the light of day, thanks to funding from The Foundation of Polish Modern Art and Warsaw Town Hall.
The Architect, Jakub Szczesny of Centrala, designed the home with a semi-transparent, polycarbonate surface so light would enter and the resident wouldn’t feel claustrophobic. However, that fate may be difficult to avoid - after all, the 3x5 ft structure is wedged between two buildings, can only be entered via ladder, and has no windows. Even the fridge can only hold two drinks at a time.
Check out the images and renderings of the world’s skinniest house, after the break...
On the other hand, the structure is more of an art installation, meant to raise issues about Warsaw’s past and present, than a permanent residency. According to its architect, Szczesny, it critiques the lack of housing in Poland, suggesting that more unused spaces should be utilized; and second, it draws attention to the tragic events of World War II that destroyed the city and then spurred the construction of its modern buildings.
Indeed, the home is located in what was once Warsaw’s Jewish Ghetto, leading Etgar Keret, the Israeli writer who will be the home’s first tenant (and for whom the house is named), to consider it a “memorial” to his family, who died in Poland’s 1944 uprising against the Nazis. Nevertheless, after 6 months Keret will give up the keys of the house for another tenant to live and experience.
Story via News Times and The Daily Mail
