We are probably all familiar with the Three Little Piggies story in which we learn the importance of a solid-built house. But in these trying times of unstable economy and enviromental issues we should consider using economical, non-standard materials in building and construction - forgetting the "homo homini lupus" premise, since we don't want any Big Bad Wolves coming huffing and puffing at our door.

The project that caught a lot of the spotlight this month was definitely The Wall Paper House project, designed by Gerd Niemoller. His houses, 36 sq m in size and weighing 800 kilos are primarily intended for Third World countries but could easily be adopted anywhere (traditional Japanese use of paper comes to mind).

Surfing the web I found some other awesome examples of alternative - and often seemingly fragile - materials for sustainable building homes which prove to be totally habitable.

Behold, the loofah house. In Paraguay, women generate income by growing loofah sponges and selling them as cosmetic products, while the waste specimens can be later used as a base for building material.

While on topic of recyling - you couldn't believe how many houses are built from what we basically call trash or food. Check out the inspiring story of two grandmas building a "recycled house" by themselves using newspapers, old tires, lumber, bottles and whatnot. Go, ladies! :)
 
And this isn't the only house built with empty bottles. In this town in Serbia stands the epitomy of average fratboy's dream (video in Serbian) while a similar object can reportedly be found in Vancouver, Canada. Hmmm, I wonder if they own furniture like this.

With the cities growing bigger every day, the question of space also arises. Well, I'm not saying designing beauties like this would prove to be cost-efficient but hey, it beats living in a capsule hotel (what's with the obsession with Japan today, self?).

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This XXS house stands right here in Ljubljana, quite near the last year's Trimo Urban Crash location in fact. Made by Dekleva Gregorèiè architects it offers 43 sq m of living space to one lucky couple.

If you know of a project that would fit this category feel free to post a link in the comment section. And if this sparked an idea in your creative mind - quickly, to the batmobile drawing board!

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Editorial note: The post below is a submission by Bojan Koncarevic, who won 3rd place and a special recognition in last year’s competition.
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What initially drew me to the Trimo Urban Crash 2007 competition was an urge to explore, since the topic had awoken in me a great curiosity. By that time I did not know Ljubljana from its socio-economical and geographical point since I had to draw conclusions from given photos and maps. So my architectural approach had to rely on my intuition and exploration. I wanted to create a fluid, unlimited message, a message linked more to the emotional and ceremonial dimension rather than the design.

When I would think about Slovenia, Ljubljana or Krakovski nasip where I never experienced the touches, smells and other stimuli, or exchange words with people who use this potential space for urban micro-intervention, my thoughts were decomposed since the photos I’ve viewed were clearly structured in the fields of urban structure itself, the activities in it, the possibilities of intervention and social categories.

The thoughts I’ve connected with the material used for the realization of the potential architectural project led to a totally anachronous position, searching for the point of connection with three spatial coordinates. The third point of the coordinate system that  would realize the final thought about architecture would be the activity present in the intersection of the existing urban structure, present forces and all the differently oriented vectors of that part of the city.

 

The location as described in the project documentation triggers all kinds of clear sensory sensations, including those of love, which are constantly brought along by the Ljubljanica river. The given space, together with its orientation clearly communicates with the trajectory of the Sun and the planets, traffic lanes, pedestrian parallels, water in constant motion and the sky’s blue that’s clearly visible from the given point and allows the rain to act as a sensation you have to wait upon and when  it finally happens it changes the atmosphere and colour of the entire location. All these factors brought about the idea of my future architectural intervention using said parallels and vectors.


The room made with Trimo products according to Euclid’s geometry is clearly defined and put in second plan regarding its negation of construction and its fixation on the existing foundation (the bank). It is expressing a clear aspiration to calm down the energy and fluidity of its surroundings, the desintegrated space. It brings to life both mathematical intersection and the play of the elements of light, shadow, water, frontal position of the profiled Trimo panel, field of view and existing auditory sensations. The architecture is also dematerialized regarding its openings – the only given entrance and frontal openings oriented due south.


The roof is treated as a smooth and straight surface without gutters so that the rain is free to fall through the horisontal perforation in the Trimo panel and again through the perforated floor towards Ljubljanica river. The installation is partly positioned over the water surface in a way that allows its visitors to see the surface of the river which is in constant motion, flow. The horisontal roof perforation is quite narrow but still offers a view of the sky which is also in constant motion, changing colours, existing almost eternallly.


How to conclude all this? Through the years I came to realize that the journey from white piece of paper to a winning solution is a journey that always has to be made and the unique experience is what distinguishes architecture from other disciplines. While searching for truth, searching the unavoidable that often imperceptibly passes us by, our vision can exist as a part of our thoughts, drawn on a piece of paper or realized in a given space. The courage and hope always exist above it so the project can only be made in the best possible way, celebrating not oneself but the idea that started in one and gave one strenghth and faith to realise it.

It’s really hard to meet a real Londoner in London, since people from all around the world are constantly coming to this multi-cultural city with many layers of history and traditions. The city is bustling with tourists throughout the whole year, so you can’t really walk from the hotel on one side of Oxford Street to the AA school on the other side of the street. Instead, you are carried by a crowd of people (a regular stampede) with about a 1000 different languages ringing in your ear. 

That might be the first impression but what London was for me afterwards were all the more hidden aspects of the city. It was interesting to visit a city for the first time and not to be just a tourist. We got to know the different side of London thanks to the projects we were working on. We visited the places and met the people we probably wouldn’t if we were “regular turists”.

In any case, I bet anyone can find something for himself in London – being bored there is a real challenge.