You know the schoolchild project where you put soil and a small ant colony between two closely spaced glass plates. You can watch the ants mill about inside and see the tunnels they dig.

I propose a house something like that - a wall and a near-complete window one human's width apart. Of course, to get past things one has to go under or over them, so clever design is critical - the staircase needs gaps, and so on. Storage space in the back wall is permitted, provided that it consists of small cabinets.

Ideal for building as end-terrace at the end of a street, where there is a metre or so of extra space. Where retrofit to existing streets, the number zero will generally be viable on one side.
-- Loris, Jan 02 2012

http://mattaclark.p...images/nonflash.jpg house slice [xenzag, Jan 02 2012]

Thin Alleyway House http://www.idiolist...house-yet-it-works/
Like an ant farm but without the glass [marklar, Jan 03 2012]

Flatland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland
[hippo, Jan 03 2012]

You might want to look at some of Gordon Matta-Clarke's installations, out of interest - see link +
-- xenzag, Jan 02 2012


And the basement could feature a bowling alley with one pin --- you would roll a strike every time! [+]
-- Grogster, Jan 02 2012


"I don't wanna hear your excuses! The building has to be at least... three times bigger than this!"
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jan 03 2012


I saw a design for a very thin house a while ago. I think it was about 2 metres wide and was in an alley between 2 buildings with a retractable staircase to street level.

Edit: found it [link] not exactly as described.
-- marklar, Jan 03 2012


With very quick elevators it shouldn't be too inconvenient.
-- Voice, Jan 03 2012


Take my advice and hire B.S. Johnson as your designer. He's brilliant at this sort of thing.
-- Alterother, Jan 03 2012


//With very quick elevators it shouldn't be too inconvenient.//
Not elevators - just air pressure.
-- phundug, Jan 03 2012



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