In these trying economic times, so many of us have had to trim down our lives. However, in news from Warsaw, Poland, one architect is designing a house that may be a stretch too far. Or should I say, a shrinkage? James Szczesny is designing a flat purported to be the thinnest house in the world.
When I first read this story, and saw the pictures, I could scarecely believe it. A news story in the Gazeta Warsawa tells of the designer commissioned to build a house only 152 centimeters (< 6 inches) wide. As it turns out, the house Warsaw city fathers approved, is being built as a workshop for noted Israeli author Etgar Keret. The multi story affair will be about 12 meters deep, and will be situated between two high rise apartment buildings at 74 and 22 Iron Chlodna, in Warsaw.
According to the report from Warsaw, this "skinniest house" ever will be a fully equipped (of miniaturized a bit) sleep over workshop equipped with a bedroom, kitchenette, desk, mini bathroom and miniszambo. As for the little condo that could being the skinniest house in the world - this is only true if you measure the place between the tenements from the back yard side. The front of the house is 152 cm wide, while there is no room for a back door squeezed into 92 cm.
But wait! We stopped the presses! According to the BBC, the world's narrowest house measures in a bit thinner than our Warsaw wannabe. The story from Great Cumbrae, Scotland shows a house being sold for the slimmest of prices, £27,000 - with the narrowest street front ever, 119 cm at is narrowest. Now if we consider the thinnest front, or back of such places - well, you see the point perhaps. Any way, for those looking on from street level, the house in Scotland is thinner, the one in Warsaw - thinnest at the rear and maybe overall.
For more unthinkably skinny, or otherwise astonishing houses, visit Zulu's article here.
The video below from Gazeta TV, while in Polish, shows a bit more about the projected "razor house" - enjoy.