Integrated furniture, from Raumplan to 21st century nano-housing

INTEGRATED FURNITURE

from Raumplan to 21st century nano-housing Robin Portier

Katholieke universiteit Leuven academiejaar: 2014 - 2015 Interieur & Meubilair in de 20e eeuw prof. Fatima Teixeira Pombo

ABSTRACT Built-ins are known as the perfect fits in an interior. No wonder that many architects are very keen to implement this type of furniture in their buildings. By customizing and adapting to every situation in any shape or function, they often create a designer’s way out. But what if they also were a way in?

This paper aims to differentiate integrated built-ins from regular customized furniture by analyzing the role and the potential of built-in furniture in the experience of the interior space.

First it will look at different examples of built-in furniture throughout the history and determine their role and integration into the architecture of the building.

Secondly, it will focus on the concept of ‘raumplan’. Loos was the first to state that an architect should design rooms according to the necessary space. In this way it becomes possible to weave the rooms into each other in a three dimensional plan, that deals economically with the available volume. This concept creates a ‘way in’ towards a more economical attitude in terms of usage of volume, resulting in more sustainable housing.

Thirdly, it will differentiate types of space winning furniture. By integrating the necessary practical functions, the furniture can serve a clear geometrical space which harvests the qualitative functions of a dwelling. This is a ‘way in’ towards a less obstructed spatial experience.

Eventually raumplan and space-winning will come together in what the concept of nano-housing or the research towards the minimal space required for habitation.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO BUILT-IN FURNITURE

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2. A BRIEF HISTORY

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JAPAN ARTS AND CRAFTS HENRY VAN DE VELDE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT ADOLF LOOS LE CORBUSIER MARIE-JOSÉ VAN HEE BARBARA APPOLLONI ATMOS STUDIO H2O ARCHITECTS

3. RAUMPLAN

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4. WINNING SPACE WITH INTEGRATED FURNITURE

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5. NANO-HOUSING

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6. CONCLUSION

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7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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8. PHOTO SOURCES

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HOUSE MÜLLER

THE MICRO-MACRO STRATEGY THE MACRO-MICRO STRATEGY

CABANON SU-SI BLOB ROLL-IT

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1. AN INTRODUCTION TO BUILT-IN FURNITURE What is built-in furniture and why are we using them?

First of all built-ins are the ‘perfect fits’ in an interior. They are customized to the immediate environment, making them a specific characteristic of the interior of an individual building. The power of this concept is the unlimited amount of possibilities in terms of shapes and functions, which overthrow the objections of labor and costs.

Built-ins come in all kinds of sizes and styles and almost every type of furniture has a built-in variant. No wonder that many architects are very keen to implement this type of furniture into their designs. From arts and crafts to Adolf Loos to contemporary architects, built-in furniture has been applied very often, mainly in residential architecture. Even in my own designs this typology has been a source of inspiration (Fig. [1]).

However soon in my research for this paper it became clear that despite the many pictures of the use of built-in furniture, the literature about this subject was very limited. Often these interiors were even unimaginable without these furnishings in terms of spatial geometry and atmosphere. Nevertheless these built-ins were rarely mentioned, let alone analyzed.

For this assignment I decided to investigate the evolution of built-in furniture and its importance in architecture. What is the role of built-ins in the experience of interior space?

In this paper I will differentiate customized built-in furniture from integrated built-in furniture.

This customized variant is a more generic variant of built-in furniture. It is a second-hand designed adaptation of existing free furniture customized for a specific straight box-formed room (e.g. Fig. [2] [3]). This built-in variant is practical (certainly for manufacturers) and fit. However it’s arguable to consider this type of built-in furniture a taking actively part in the architecture of the building, nor has it a physical cohesive bounding from building to interior.

The integrated variant (e.g. Fig. [4]) distinguishes itself from the first one by being unambiguously part of the architecture. It is designed first-handed by the architect in order to connect the architecture with the interior spatial experience that fits the architects imagination and vision.

In my opinion this second variant is far more interesting from an architectural point of view and obviously this variant will be the focus in this paper.

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2. A BRIEF HISTORY After the intro of the first chapter I will now take you on a small travel through time. We are briefly going to zoom in on 10 remarkable examples of different types of integrated furniture accomplished in several architectural styles by mostly renowned architects throughout the history of architecture.

JAPAN A first example of build-in furniture we find in the traditional residential Japanese architecture. The study or ‘Dojinsai’ usually has a built-in desk and staggered shelves 1 (Fig. [1] [2]). All functionalities needed in this space have been built in one of the walls. In this way the space will be experienced as one big geometric shape with tatami mats wall-to-wall. The built-in character of the furniture keeps the space unobstructed creating an atmosphere of peace and modest elegance.

Another example can be found in the dining-room with the ‘irori’. A kind of sunken hearth for boiling water (Fig. [3]).

ARTS AND CRAFTS The Arts and Crafts movement (a daughter movement of “the modern style” in the UK) was definitely a milestone in high quality furniture and built-in furniture 21. Both design and craftsmanship were very important during this movement 2.

A well known example can be found in the oeuvre of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. In his design of the Glasgow school of Art lots of library elements (closets shelves and desks) were built-in (Fig. [6]).

Houghton Manor is a country house in Cambridgeshire designed by a local architect in 1905 whom was an adept of Arts & Crafts icon William Morris 3. In this Manor a lot of the original aspects of the interior have been kept in good condition. Notable items are the ‘fireplace nooks’ (Fig. [4] [5]). These built-in benches and shelves fill the niche and alcoves around the mantelpiece and transform these small spaces into a cosy and intimate built-in side-space of the main living room.

The main objective of the arts and crafts movement was the craftsmanship of production. Still we can see a typical design idea of symmetry and modesty, as well for the inspiration in natural forms and medieval patterns.

HENRY VAN DE VELDE One of his first designs in Weimar was the interior of the Nietzsche-Archiv commissioned by Elizabeth Förster-Nietzsche 22. For the purpose of this paper the library (Fig. [7] [8]) is a very interesting piece of art 4. Throughout the room the same basic section has been repetitively applied and they adhere everything together. Closets, doors, windows, niches and couches are built-in as a whole along the wall. Without a doubt the built-in design is essential in creating the unique architectural experience in the interior.

Shape-wise we see that the presence of nature is very important. Curved lines refer to trees and other vegetation forms. In this way the Art Nouveau provides a new formal language that revolutionized with the formal repertoire of what was known back then. Remarkable is that Van de Velde, in comparison with f.e. Victor Horta, kept these natural shapes strongly stylized and in plane. In this way he creates more the suggestion of natural forms. Van de Velde designed everything of the interior as a From raumplan to 21st century nano-housing | 9

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‘gesammtkunstwerk’ in order to fit the free furniture (chairs, tables and vases) in the total picture. In this way he also kept track of the juxtaposition of materials, such as wood, plaster, fabric and glass.

This balance and unity is very characteristic in his designs 2.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT His interior designs and furniture have been enormously influential for contemporary residential housing. Inspired by Japanese art Wright wanted to express tranquility and harmony in his designs, even the furniture had to serve this purpose 23. As he stated: “The most truly satisfactory apartments are those in which most or all of the furniture is built in as part of the original scheme considering the whole as an integral unit” 5. By stating that the interior should be integrated into the overall experience of a house, the way to built-in furniture was wide open. His pieces looked as if they grew naturally out of the building and they harmonized perfectly with the interior woodwork in material and scale. The built-ins provide a connection between the house and the moveable furniture as if everything is part of a total harmonious habitat 23.

Logically built-in furniture as benches (Fallingwater, Fig. [9]), bookshelves, closets (FLW Home, Fig. [10]), buffets (Barton House, Fig. [11]), desks and beds became a common practice in Wright’s homes.

ADOLF LOOS Loos was one of the first to emphasize the importance of economy of space. He used repeatedly built-in furniture making the most of his residential architecture e.g. the library and sitting circle in ‘Villa Karma’ (1906) (Fig. [12]) and the smoke room of ‘Moller House’ (1928) 6.

Chapter 3 will go more in detail about Loos’ built-ins.

LE CORBUSIER The framework in the living area of Villa Shodhan (Fig. [13]) is a mix of windows and blind shelfboxes which can be used to store small objects as can be seen on the picture 7. Although a framework can’t be classified as furniture in its primary function, it can often be used as furniture as well as a source of inspiration for other pieces of integrated furniture in outside walls.

Later in chapter 5 ‘nano-housing’ I will show another project of Le corbusier with ‘real’ built-in furniture.

MARIE-JOSÉ VAN HEE Designing her own house Van Hee chose high windows above eye level next to the adjacent alley in order to create more privacy in the living room 8. The level of the dining room (Fig. [14]) is still on level with the alley creating a high space. This allowed her to use high built-in closets underneath the windows. The handles are worked in the closets, creating the perception of paneled walls at first sight.

The thickness of the walls creates deep window-niches articulated by concrete partitions 9. This thickness and the height of the space work beautiful together in creating the monumental, yet intimate atmosphere she had in mind. The closets also provides enough storage space, so there’s no need for extra visual obstructions, creating a peaceful, modest and geometrical place to inhabit.

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DAVID A. HANKS, “The decorative designs of Frank Lloyd Wright”, Dover Publications, 1979, p. 27

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BARBARA APPOLLONI In 2009 she designed a fully equipped dwelling in what used to be a technical space on top of a narrow building in the center of Barcelona. A full one person household had to fit in only 22m².

Inspired by boats Appolloni designed a very active apartment with a lot of vanishing furniture 24. This tiny loft is made livable by its built-in furniture with integrated functions serving one central multifunctional space 10. E.g. a bed on wheels disappears underneath the balcony (Fig. [15]), the table is hidden as an inside shutter panel of a window and needs to be fold open (Fig. [16] [17]). Because of the ‘making’ character it got the nickname “Lego-apartment” 25. The shower is not built-in, but is a glass box in the middle of the room which off course fails in the matter of privacy when having company. A lot of storage space is provided in the walls as smooth closets which opens with a push-to-open system (Fig. [18]). It is a very good and livable example of what will be named ‘nano-housing’ in chapter 5.

ATMOS STUDIO ‘Woven nest’ is an apartment in London designed by Atmos Studio in 2010.

The interior of the house is mainly been characterized by two elements: first the openings in the upper level to bring in light and second strongly integrated furniture with the stairs 10 (Fig. [19] [20]). The steps of the stairs run along the separation between the living room and the hall and become shelves that complement with the rest of the furniture along the walls 26.

H2O ARCHITECTS The program of ‘Le Refuge’ was very challenging due to a very small surface. They were asked to design a qualitative renovation of a ski-apartment of 55m² which must provide shelter for at least 8 people and still benefit the quality of the outside breathtaking mountain scenery 27.

H2O architects found a solution by using an extra-large built-in piece of furniture (Fig. [21]) in which the functions of sleeping, storage and seating are combined (Fig. [22]). Or like they say: “instead of fitting the furniture in the available room, the designer fitted the space into the furniture” 28.

A wide wooden curve goes through the apartment, at the window side there is an open common living room. Behind the curve all necessary functions are accommodated in which the occupied volume is reduced to the bare minimum by superposing beds and closets.

The white color of the joint space gives a bright and open feeling while the wood creates color and a cosy and peaceful atmosphere into the modern design (Fig. [23]).

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MIKE WOLFE, “Beautiful Ski Resort Interior Design in Menuires, France with Integrated Furniture for Sleeping, Storage and Seating for Kids”, furnikidz.com, january 1, 2014,

http://furnikidz.com/beautiful-ski-resort-interior-design-in-menuires-france-with-integrated-furniture-for-sleeping-storage-and-seating-for-kids/#.VbF-t_ntlBd

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3. RAUMPLAN The ‘Raumplan’ or ‘space-plan’ is inseparably connected with the Austrian architect Adolf Loos and his search towards ‘pure’ architecture. He stated that architecture is not a spatial art, but rather the organization of space. In that way architecture should also be liberated from other disciplines. This last thought is the main argument in his appeal of ‘ornamentlosigkeit’, one of the main ideas in his theories and designs together with ‘Raumplan’. Both ideas diverged completely from the general vision of his time.

‘Ornamentlosigkeit’ rather implies an aesthetic value (although Loos also brings up some economic interests), in contrast raumplan might deserve more appreciation in a moral way as a premise of economic attitude towards volume 6.

Practically ‘raumplan-architektur’ can be seen as the evolution of a plan in the third dimension. The different rooms in the house are dimensioned according to their functional en representative significance. In Loos’s opinion an architect shouldn’t design floor maps or facades, but has to deal with the design of space 11.

In his designs this results in a variety of different cubes (different in scale and experience) which proceed into each other and are connected by staircases.

Examples of raumplan-houses from the hand of Loos are:

- Tristan Tzara House (1926)

- Moller House (1928)

- Müller House (1930) Economy of space is today a major argument for the application of integrated/built-in furniture.

Small contemporary dwellings compel architects to use this principle of a three dimensional ‘spaceplan’ to assemble the maximum quality and functionality into a limited volume.

HOUSE MÜLLER The house that Loos designed for Dr. Frantisek Müller was realized in 1930. In this design, he translated his concepts in the best way and therefore it is considered the epitome of raumplan. The different rooms with their different heights form a cohesive open spatial structure 2. Remarkable in this and several other designs is the inequality of interior design in comparison to the facades. As Loos says: “The house should be quite at the outside, but inside it should reveal all its richness.” Therefore we also notice that the interior is decorated with luxurious and honest materials which replace ornamental decoration.

A general theme in the architecture of Loos is the ‘withdrawal into the private sphere’. The house needs to provide comfort, it is an intimate zone away from social environment 6. In this way it was important to create these kind of ‘nested’ interiors. As in the boudoir (Fig. [1]) for example we see that in one room multiple centers (blue and orange spaces, Plan Fig. [2] , Section Fig. [3]) are created by the enclaves provided by specific built-in furnishings 12. The large piece furniture of the boudoir introduces a small nested nook with shelves above. It is finished with high-quality satin wood and fabric in light blue cretonne with red roses which gives the impression of a precious, expensive jewellery box 6.

Other examples of integrated furniture in the Müller House are found at the other side of the boudoir (Fig.[4]), the mistress’s room (Fig. [6]) and also in the back of the large salon where the fireplace is flanked by two closets for the heating and the aquariums is built in the walls (Fig. [5]) 12.

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4. WINNING SPACE WITH INTEGRATED FURNITURE Loos created the basic fundaments of economy of space. He stated that an architect should handle the available volume economically 6. The main topic of this chapter will be about how we can live up to this challenge.

To maintain an overview I will look at this subject from two different points of view, actually two different strategies to make the most of a volume.

THE MICRO-MACRO STRATEGY The first strategy is not exactly very new and has already been applied a lot in residential housing.

In this strategy we will give function to lost spaces, which are often weird shaped, unused, small parts of a room that haven’t got any specific function and also regular free furniture does not fit in the volume. Mostly they are created by another, necessary function that uses another part of the volume. With a piece of built-in furniture adapted to the situation we can give this inconvenient left-over space a function in order to save volume from an adjacent room with main functions more qualitative for life in a dwelling.

I will call this the micro-macro strategy; it is about solving small places enclosing small functions serving the main function in a larger environment.

A very trending example of the micro-macro strategy is the usage of formerly lost space underneath a staircase. Today more and more this space is designed first-handed by the architect, resulting in very creative solutions. Most of these solutions provides storage space in the form of pull-out closets (Fig. [1]) 13 (which are very interesting because of depth) or regular closets and drawers (Fig. [2]) or open built-in furniture as seatings or shelves (see the woven nest of Atmos Studio in chapter 2 Fig. [19]).

Also ‘stairstepdrawers’ (Fig. [3]) are quite popular nowadays 14.

In many houses there are a lot of “gaps” or alcoves which are not used properly. These lost spaces, can offer some great opportunities for storage (Fig. [4]), seating or other functions 14. In chapter 2 (Fig. [4] [5]) it is shown that the use of such spaces is already designed by architects since the arts and crafts movement.

Remembering ‘raumplan’, spaces can be reduced to the bare minimum. In this way ‘gaps’ will be usable for other functions. E.g. space above staircases or above toilets are often high enough to be used as small storages 13 (Fig. [5]).

Under sloping roofs there usually is also a large loss of space 13. Again creative minds have found a handy way around this issue with specific solutions in order to make the most of the available volume (Fig. [6]).

Another solution interesting to be mentioned, is the floor with integrated furniture. An example of this is the apartment in Tessaloniki by ‘27 architects’ (Fig.[7] [8] [9]). In order to preserve the walls they choose to raise the floor with 40 cm and to integrate seatings, technicals and storage space in it 10.

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THE MACRO-MICRO STRATEGY The second strategy to save space is to create a space that can incorporate multiple functions. For this case the items that facilitate a certain function will be integrated as vanishing objects built into walls or other furniture according to the vision of the architect. This method I will call the macro-micro strategy.

Changing rooms within the same space need other furniture to appear according to the changing function. This can be fulfilled with ‘vanishing furniture’. It can be a bed (“modular folding bed” by boxetti Fig. [10]) or a table (“Lego apartment” by Barbara Appolloni Fig. chapter 2 [16] [17]) or a seating place (“Cube 6” by Naho Matsuno Fig. [15]) that you can fold or push to change lay-outs.

Sometimes a furniture box can contain a whole built-in kitchen that appears when folding open (Fig. [11] [12] “Tamka apartment” by Jakub Szczesny) 10. Or all furnishings are able to be stored under the bed which creates an open activity space without obstructions in the rest of the apartment (“my caravan studio” by Paul Coudamy Fig. [13] [14]) 10.

This strategy can be found in its most extreme form in “Bubble House” by MMASA Arquitectos (Fig. [16] [17]) in which a fully equipped home is fitted into just a large suitcase 16.

In addition to these strategies and examples I want to state a few general notes to enlarge the space visually in small rooms. First, daylight and large windows enlarge the spatial experience, it is the strongest weapon against claustrophobic experiences.

A second awareness has to be the choice of the right materials and colors. These can influence the spatial experience a lot. A third should be considered when dealing with high ceilings. High spaces can often be used in advantage by placing a mezzanine, making the most of the available volume.

An attentive reader will already understand that these space savers are most applied in second-hand interior designs. This means that the concepts of the following examples are more generic of nature and the solutions rather customized. Nevertheless since renovation will be even more important in the future it is interesting to pay attention to this matter. You will also see that ‘integrated’ can also be interpreted as the integration of multiple functions or spaces into unusual conditions or volumes.

And as we will see in chapter 5 a lot of these tips and tricks are used when economy of volume becomes important from scratch.

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5. NANO-HOUSING One-space living known from boats or RV’s consists of one multifunctional space that demands careful planning for use of space (Fig. [1] [2]). Because of the limited available volume the designer needs to make the most of it, not only squeezing all functionality in it, but allowing each distinct activity to be performed efficiently and practically. Phyllis Richardson calls these really small houses ‘nano-houses’ 16. A well chosen name in my opinion, because of the sound of innovation and pushing limits, qualities that are inherent in these designs.

In the second chapter the ‘Lego-apartment’ was already mentioned. This one-space living from the hand of Barbara Appolloni is a perfect example of this nano-housing (Fig. [3]). Chapter 5 will bring up a few more projects within this matter and emphasize the importance of built-ins and how designers applied it in nano-housing.

CABANON Le Corbusier is one of the architects that has written a lot about ‘existenz-minimum’ housing. As he stated that a house was a machine for living, this machine had to fulfill the requirements of the following functions: “1. A shelter against heat, cold, rain, thieves and the inquisitive. 2. A receptacle for light and sun. 3. A certain number of cells appropriated to cooking, work and personal life.” 17.

As we know, Le Corbusier never hesitated to apply his (almost extreme) visions into practice. This he refers to his own little ‘cabanon’ (1951) an extreme small dwelling build on the French Riviera 16.

Le Corbusier used to say: “I have a castle on the Riviera who is 3,66m by 3,66m. I did it for my wife and it is an extravagant place of comfort and kindness.” 29.

Looking closely at the house (Fig. [4]) we see that it is a one cell dwelling, one place for activity in which furnishings are built in and can be folded away. He arranged the furniture in a way it generates a helical movement with the low furniture at the wall towards the bay and a large window opening, providing panoramic views 29. It is a cosy place where the dominant material is wood, which he combined with colored planes in the floor (yellow) and the ceiling (different colors). In the entrance the wall is covered with a painting of the master’s own hand.

However this house will never be a permanent dwelling, it never was suppose to be, Le Corbusier and his wife used it for holidays up to two months.

SU-SI SU-SI is a prototype project of Kaufmann and Kaufmann (1999) around small prefabricated dwellings in Austria. These are designed to be houses, both temporarily as well as more permanent according to the architects. Nowadays it is often used for commercial purposes or expositions and building yards 18. The house is one story high and has a footprint of 15 - 50 m². Most of the furniture is customized but most interesting in this context is the foreseen “overflow” for storage. Because of the limited space for closets, the architects made a window grid with transoms which are wide enough to use as shelves (Fig. [5]).However it could be wisely to reconsider putting stuff on these shelves since they are directed to the south and dust, UV-radiation and heat are not in the best interest of most of your stuff (books, liquids,...).

In the example “flère la rivière” (Fig. [6]) we see that they used two prefabricated pieces and placed them in width next to each other creating one large house 30. At the juncture they provided built-in closets to fill in the space between the wooden columns that divide the house in two.

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“Cabanon de Vacances”, en.wikiarquitectura.com, http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Cabanon_de_Vacances ALAIN DE BOTTON (from: LE CORBUSIER, “Vers une nouvelle architecture”, 1923), “De architectuur van het geluk”, 12th edition, Amsterdam: Olympus, 2006, p. 64 From raumplan to 21st century nano-housing | 21

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BLOB Office dmvA was asked by Rini van Beek to design a guest house that could also be used as a small office when needed. Further the designers of dmvA were bounded to strict regulations on the site.

They called their design a ‘blob’ (Fig.[7]). It is an ovoid shaped pavilion made from handcrafted polyester 16. The new form and unusual material makes it looks like an extraterrestrial object. It might remind us of the space age during the sixties. Designs such as the ‘Futuro’ of Matti Suuronen were UFO look-a-like objects for housing that had a mobile character. No wonder that this nano-house got the nickname “space egg”.

Also the interior of Blob (Fig. [8]) is very futuristic. The shell of the shape is strategically thickened (Fig. [10] [11]) so it is able to include niches that integrates storage, lounging, sleeping and cooking (Fig. [9]).

The bathroom space is also built in at one end of the ovoid and also lighting is worked in the walls and floor. In this way the entire interior space can be an open activity space free of furnishings. This is a good example of how one can provide flexibility with fixed furniture. Logically it is impossible to imagine this space with the same qualities in combination with regular free furniture. It is the integration that allows inhabitation of this pavilion without compromising the unique spatial experience.

ROLL-IT This experiment of the university of Karlsruhe considers the features of a cylindrical living space. It is an attempt to proof that there are still a lot of possibilities to rethink housing models 16. They literally thought out of the box to find a solution to make the most of the volume of interior space.

The interior of Roll-it can be described as a human-adapted space enclosed by “built-out” furniture, all made of laminated board (Fig. [14]) 31.

Mobility is the key feature of the interior organization. One has to run the hamster wheel in order to use all the basic necessities (Fig. [13]).

The genius of this design is the pragmatism in which they applied the fully equipped comfort (yes, also plumbing and cooking!) within a very small curved space. However this nano-house will never be used as a home (not even for holidays). In terms of a home, it lacks the comfort of multitasking that is required during the day. E.g. you cannot leave books/paper/laptop temporarily on the table while cooking or going to the toilet. Still I think it is very valuable in order to broaden the minds of designers as a prototype.

This kind of small houses are meant to be a kind of provocation. By designing these the architect goes back to the essentials of living as a starting point and not as an end of the exploration. It elegantly shows that there are more exciting alternatives to explore to answer our current demands.

The design is meant to be provocative and aims to encourage the debate to find more efficient forms of housing. And in best case they created a nice place, a very small space to inhabit.

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6. CONCLUSION IN A CASE OF SPATIAL EXPERIENCE Although built-in furniture has frequently been applied in dwelling environments , it is not often in the spotlight of the architecture scene. This made us think about its role in architecture.

Often built-ins are used to solve the limited storage space in an elegant way preserving the main space from being obstructed with too much furnishings, which makes it more flexible for different activities. These are the so called ‘space savers’ or ‘space winners’.

Sometimes these built-ins will have huge visual implications. The furnishings can be very expressive and morphs the form of the space as in ‘Woven Nest’. But in a lot of cases it can also be a silent witness of the adjacent space, allowing strong geometrical gestures without obstructions as in Japanese houses and the house of Van Hee. It will rarely be the ‘star player’ furniture piece in the interior. We see that it is more often the silent background player facilitating practical functions. The built-in furniture will be a part of the greater picture having an important supporting role towards the spatial architectural experience and atmosphere in the building.

IN A CASE OF ECONOMY OF SPACE Furthermore economy of space is definitely an increasing problem taking in count the exponential growth of population and the high cost of a dwelling in the city. Planning and designing with saving space in mind and making most of a volume, can provide homes that are more durable in terms of quality of space, quality of living environments and even energy-efficiency 16 (compactness of housing). With this I am certainly not suggesting that we should move ‘en masse’ and start living in space craft sized houses. It is mainly about provoking a discussion about sustainability, efficiency, function and needs and to incorporate and facilitate these ambitions into design. Thinking about small housing or even nano-housing gives us the opportunity to explore the concept of the amount of enclosed space an individual actually needs, not only to survive but also to live life to the fullest. It might inspire among other ideas towards integrated furniture and space.

A CASE IN FAVOR OF INTEGRATED FURNITURE In a final conclusion we can take the idea’s of Loos’s raumplan and use them as the basics for small dwellings. In a free interpretation of raumplan I dare to state that it considers designing in a three dimensional space and fitting every function into the right proportions according to its significance and this in order to make the most of an available space. This is something in which the supporting role of built-in furniture has proven to be well worth the consideration and effort.

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7. BIBLIOGRAPHY LITERATURE

DAVID & MICHIKO YOUNG, “The Art of Japanese Architecture”, North Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing, 2007

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JÜRGEN TIETZ, “Geschiedenis van de architectuur, in de 20e eeuw”, Groningen: TextCase, 1998

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PAMELA TODD, “William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Home”, London: Thames & Hudson, 2005

DIRK LAPORTE, LUC BUERMAN, “In de voetsporen van Henry Van de Velde”, Gent-Kortrijk: Snoeck, 2013 4.

5.

DAVID A. HANKS, “The decorative designs of Frank Lloyd Wright”, Dover Publications, 1979

6.

AUGUST SARNITZ, “Loos”, Cologne: Taschen, 2003

7.

W . BOESIGER, “Le Corbusier: oeuvre complète: 1952-1957”

DIANE HENDRICKX & MURIEL VERBIST, “Belgische architecten en hun huis”, Antwerpen: Luster, 2010 8.

ANDRÉ LOECKX, WILLIAM MANN, KRISTIAAN BORRET, “Marie-José Van Hee. Architect”, Gent: Ludion, 2002

9.

10.

CHRISTINA PAREDES BENITEZ, “200 tips voor kleine appartementen”, Kerkdriel: Librero, 2012

MAX RISSELADA, “Raumplan versus plan libre Adolf Loos/Le Corbusier”, Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2008

11.

LESLIE VAN DUZER, KENT KLEINMAN, “Villa Müller, a work of Adolf Loos”, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1994

12.

13.

ALFRED M. JACOBSEN, “Ruimte winnen in huis”, 2nd edition, Den Haag: consumentenbond, 2005

14.

BARTY PHILLIPS, “Minimaal ruimte, maximaal leven”, Houten: Terra-Lannoo, 2008

15.

TERENCE CONRAN, “Storage get organized”, London: Conran Octopus Limited, 2006

PHYLLIS RICHARDSON, “Nano house, innovations for small dwellings”, London: Thames & Hudson 2011

16.

17.

ALAIN DE BOTTON, “De architectuur van het geluk”, 12th edition, Amsterdam: Olympus, 2006

18.

AURORA CUITO, “Moderne kleine woningen”, kerkdriel: Librero, 2003

26 | Integrated Furniture

WEBSITES

JANE POWELL, “Stow-icism: the legacy of Arts & Crafts Built-Ins”, oldhousejournal.com, http://www.oldhousejournal.com/stowicism_the_legacy_of_arts_crafts_builtins/magazine/1572

21.

Klassik-stiftung.de, http://www.klassik-stiftung.de/einrichtungen/museen/nietzsche-archiv/

22.

‘WATTSSW’, “Introduction to Frank Lloyd Wright furniture”, wrightinalabama.com, july 6, 2014, http://wrightinalabama.com/?p=464

23.

‘ADMIN’, “Lego-Style Tiny Apartment in Barcelona by Barbara Appolloni”, homedsgn.com, may 2, 2011, http://www.homedsgn.com/2011/05/02/lego-style-tiny-apartment-in-barcelona-by-barbara-appolloni/

24.

BARBARA APPOLLONI, “Lego Apartment”, barbaraappolloni.com, http://barbaraappolloni.com/en/lego-apartment/?d=1

25.

DANNY HUDSON, “Atmos studio completes the woven nest in england”, Designboom.com, april 6, 2014, http://www.designboom.com/architecture/atmos-studio-completes-the-woven-nest-in-england-4-6-2014/ 26.

H2O ARCHITECTES, “Le refuge”, h2oarchitects.com, http://www.h2oarchitectes.com/projet/1/h2oarchitectes_recherche_petite_echelle/h2o_architectes_appartement_le_refuge_les_menuires.html

27.

MIKE WOLFE, “Beautiful Ski Resort Interior Design in Menuires, France with Integrated Furniture for Sleeping, Storage and Seating for Kids”, furnikidz.com, january 1, 2014, http://furnikidz.com/beautiful-ski-resort-interior-design-in-menuires-france-with-integrated-furniture-for-sleeping-storage-and-seating-for-kids/#.VbF-t_ntlBd

28.

“Cabanon de Vacances”, en.wikiarquitectura.com, http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Cabanon_de_Vacances

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Kaufmannzimmerei.users.aboliton.at, SU-SI, http://kaufmannzimmerei.users.aboliton.at/index.php?id=39

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CHRISTIAN ZWICK, “Modular Home with a creative turn”, meccinteriors.wordpress.com, august 1, 2010 https://meccinteriors.wordpress.com/tag/roll-it/

31.

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8. PHOTO SOURCES CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO BUILT-IN FURNITURE [Chapter 1 , photo 1 ] ROBIN PORTIER, Interior of Maggies centre “Wanderbirchness” Leuven, “Kitchen and workplace with builtin furniture”, 2014 [Chapter 1 , photo 2 ] http://www.showroomkeukens.nl/afbeelding5/31813-Landelijke+keuken+in+saffraangeel+lak.jpg [Chapter 1 , photo 3 ] http://www.stonecreekfurniture.com/builtin/large/officegrand.jpg [Chapter 1 , photo 4 ] http://www.dpp.cz/image-cache/max-800x800/2012-muellerova_vila_damsky_pokoj_mensi.jpg

CHAPTER 2 A BRIEF HISTORY [Chapter 2 , photo 1 ] DAVID & MICHIKO YOUNG, “The Art of Japanese Architecture”, North Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing, 2007, p.

80 [Chapter 2 , photo 2 ] http://www.interior-heart.com/navi/images/cod0-6.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 3 ] https://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~melmoth/japan/iroli.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 4 ] PAMELA TODD, “William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Home”, London: Thames & Hudson, 2005, p. 131 [Chapter 2 , photo 5 ] PAMELA TODD, “William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Home”, London: Thames & Hudson, 2005, p. 128 [Chapter 2 , photo 6 ] http://f.hypotheses.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1959/files/2014/05/BenBlossom_GSAD1_690.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 7 ] https://www.flickr.com/photos/33448914@N04/3630616854/ [Chapter 2 , photo 8 ] http://www.monumente-online.de/09/06/sonderthema/Henry_van_de_Velde.php [Chapter 2 , photo 9 ] http://www.reddotforum.com/ArticleImages/Fallingwater/large/L1005642.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 10 ] http://wrightinalabama.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/frank-lloyd-wright-furniture-2.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 11 ] http://www.buffalo.edu/content/dam/www/news/imported/hires/BartonHouse.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 12 ] https://maddme.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/library.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 13 ] W . BOESIGER, “Le Corbusier: oeuvre complète: 1952-1957”, p. 142 [Chapter 2 , photo 14 ] DIANE HENDRICKX & MURIEL VERBIST, “Belgische architecten en hun huis”, Antwerpen: Luster, 2010, p. 203 [Chapter 2 , photo 15 ] CHRISTINA PAREDES BENITEZ, “200 tips voor kleine appartementen”, Kerkdriel: Librero, 2012, p. 138 [Chapter 2 , photo 16 ] CHRISTINA PAREDES BENITEZ, “200 tips voor kleine appartementen”, Kerkdriel: Librero, 2012, p. 143 [Chapter 2 , photo 17 ] CHRISTINA PAREDES BENITEZ, “200 tips voor kleine appartementen”, Kerkdriel: Librero, 2012, p. 145 [Chapter 2 , photo 18 ] CHRISTINA PAREDES BENITEZ, “200 tips voor kleine appartementen”, Kerkdriel: Librero, 2012, p. 140 28 | Integrated Furniture

[Chapter 2 , photo 19 ] http://www.triptod.com/content_images/projects_The-Woven-Nest_84238_612_612.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 20 ] http://photohomes.ru/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/woven-Nest-04-3-1-823x1100.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 21 ] http://www.h2oarchitectes.com/images/h2o_architecture_h2o_architectes____le_refuge_-_appartement_les_menuires_03_728.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 22 ] http://cdnpix.com/show/imgs/2f851232b19319407a450b7eaa44819e.jpg [Chapter 2 , photo 23 ] http://www.yooko.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/H2O-architectes-appartement-le-refuge-aux-Menuires-9.jpg

CHAPTER 3 RAUMPLAN [Chapter 3, photo 1 ] http://www.dpp.cz/image-cache/max-800x800/2012-muellerova_vila_damsky_pokoj_mensi.jpg [Chapter 3, photo 2 ] LESLIE VAN DUZER, KENT KLEINMAN, “Villa Müller, a work of Adolf Loos”, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1994, p. 81 [Chapter 3, photo 3 ] LESLIE VAN DUZER, KENT KLEINMAN, “Villa Müller, a work of Adolf Loos”, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1994, p. 84 [Chapter 3, photo 4 ] http://en.muzeumprahy.cz/content/galleries/1485/1364074349-08-budoir-0-img-assist-custom-420x280. jpg [Chapter 3, photo 5 ] http://media2.architecturemedia.net/site_media/media/cache/14/e6/14e6acc2a64495abbd8af9a15f68dda3.jpg [Chapter 3, photo 6 ] http://en.muzeumprahy.cz/content/galleries/1485/1364074383-15-v3n5349-0-img-assist-custom-420x280. jpg

CHAPTER 4 WINNING SPACE WITH INTEGRATED FURNITURE [Chapter 4, photo 1 ] http://hedefahsap.com/wp-content/uploads/dolap.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 2 ] http://cdn.architecturendesign.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/AD-Under-The-Staircase-Space-10.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 3 ] http://theownerbuildernetwork.co/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/buying-a-stairway-to-heaven/Buying-astairway-to-heaven-10.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 4 ] http://www.peterhendersonfurniture.co.uk/hires/traditional-alcove-cupboard1.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 5 ] ALFRED M. JACOBSEN, “Ruimte winnen in huis”, 2nd Ed., Den Haag: consumentenbond, 2005, p. 120 [Chapter 4, photo 6 ] ALFRED M. JACOBSEN, “Ruimte winnen in huis”, 2nd Ed., Den Haag: consumentenbond, 2005, p. 123 [Chapter 4, photo 7 ] http://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5008/a076/28ba/0d50/da00/1421/large_jpg/stringio. jpg?1375408415 [Chapter 4, photo 8 ] http://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5008/a071/28ba/0d50/da00/1420/large_jpg/stringio.

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jpg?1375408409 [Chapter 4, photo 9 ] http://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5008/a080/28ba/0d50/da00/1423/large_jpg/stringio. jpg?1375408421 [Chapter 4, photo 10 ] http://www.boxetticoncept.com/media2/img.php?path=var/uploads/thumbs/medium_06dc907ace430d8ee10352eeb64bf904.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 11 ] http://www.designboom.com/cms/images/ridaus/apart04.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 12 ] http://www.designboom.com/cms/images/ridaus/apart02.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 13 ] http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/02/dzn_My-Caravan-Studio-by-Paul-Coudamy-2.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 14 ] http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/02/dzn_My-Caravan-Studio-by-Paul-Coudamy-11.gif [Chapter 4, photo 15 ] http://assets.dornob.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/nesting-three-seat-variant.jpg [Chapter 4, photo 16 ] PHYLLIS RICHARDSON, “Nano house, innovations for small dwellings”, London: Thames & Hudson, 2011, p.

91 [Chapter 4, photo 17 ] http://bubbleprototype.blogspot.be/

CHAPTER 5 NANO-HOUSING [Chapter 5, photo 1 ] http://www.eberspacher.com/fileadmin/data/countrysites/EB_UK/images/technical_images_ebuk/tech_ airtronic_ebuk/airtronic_sailing_cutaway_ebuk.jpg [Chapter 5, photo 2 ] http://www.cumminsdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/rv_xsec_Evrgrn_Element.jpg [Chapter 5, photo 3 ] http://www.tinyhouseliving.com/wp-content/uploads/Barcelona-Apartment-04-1-Kind-Design.jpg [Chapter 5, photo 4 ] http://www.domusweb.it/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2013/08/28/an_atlas_of_modernlandscapes/moma_lecorbusier_424.jpg [Chapter 5, photo 5 ] http://kaufmannzimmerei.users.aboliton.at/index.php?id=60 [Chapter 5, photo 6 ] Photo by: IGNACIO MARTINEZ from: LIBRERO, “moderne kleine woningen”, p. 34 [Chapter 5, photo 7 ] http://www.dmva-architecten.be/v2/index.php#houses|68 [Chapter 5, photo 8 ] http://www.dmva-architecten.be/v2/index.php#houses|68 [Chapter 5, photo 9 ] http://www.dmva-architecten.be/v2/index.php#houses|68 [Chapter 5, photo 10 ] http://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5012/2ad6/28ba/0d33/b200/029b/large_jpg/stringio. jpg?1425467472 [Chapter 5, photo 11 ] http://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5012/2ad6/28ba/0d33/b200/029b/large_jpg/stringio. jpg?1425467472

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[Chapter 5, photo 12 ] http://www.laparola.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Uma-casa-experimental-que-gira-como-uma-roda-3.jpg [Chapter 5, photo 13 ] https://meccinteriors.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/roll-it-concept.jpg?w=646 [Chapter 5, photo 14 ] http://www.laparola.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Uma-casa-experimental-que-gira-como-uma-roda-6.jpg

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ROBIN PORTIER INTEGRATED FURNITURE: FROM RAUMPLAN TO 21st CENTURY NANO-HOUSING

Katholieke universiteit Leuven academiejaar: 2014 - 2015 Interieur & Meubilair in de 20e eeuw prof. Fatima Teixeira Pombo