the platform
concept with Zoya Solovieva
OPEN THE HOUSE
from the design studio series “Minimal - Maximal”
Prof. Tim Edler, Christian Schmidts
8th semester, 2021
University of Arts Berlin
The semester topics investigated how thermal clothing can be used to question the areas of thermal comfort and thus redefine conventional building planning. What would happen if the open space - and no longer the closed space with walls and ceiling - was perceived as comfortable? This question was the starting point for the idea of a platform: a floor area without walls and ceiling that represents a new form of living.
The platform project is an exploration of the topic of minimal living space. As such, it is an experiment: if a person is only given a floor space (in this case 30 m²), what are the minimum assumptions and the minimum equipment they really need? After everything has been removed, even the walls, what do you get back? First I asked myself this question. So the platform I designed is the minimum space and furnishings I would have needed. The minimal furniture includes: a bed, a fold-out kitchen with table tops for eating and working while standing or sitting, and a shower. The toilet is on the shore and not on the platform, and the bed and kitchen can be completely folded into a suitcase shape and moved on castors. The joints between the floor panels, 10 cm deep, are designed as rails for the mobile furniture. The shower is fixed to four floor panels and equipped with a tank for water filtration from the river and a replaceable tank under the floor for gray water. In the kitchen, both water tanks are interchangeable and the drinking water is served by a foot pump.
Thermal protection for the night and in rainy weather can be provided by rolling out thermally active or weather-resistant materials from the floor. The thermal fabric is located under the side floor panels, and in the widest floor joints, on the supporting beams, there are sliding poles that can be used to construct a small awning or a fabric roof. These thermal fabrics can also be attached to the furniture using a hook or fastening system.
The project is a statement on a form of lifestyle reduced to the absolute minimum, a reconnection with nature and a questioning of comfort: thermal comfort, living comfort, comfort of possessions and unlimited resources.