Hong Kong architect turns shoebox apartment into 24 rooms

The most difficult thing that I find about many of the really cool tiny apartment layouts is that it is REALLY hard to replicate similar in poorly laid out apartments. I could do wonders with a square 300sq/ft apartment, but some of the apartments we have here in Boston have such weird layouts (pipes in random places, poorly placed doors &#38; windows, strange walls sticking out randomly) that it makes it really hard to do.<p>This is highly inspirational however.

"Autowash!?"<p>&#60;/Obligatory Fifth Element Quote!&#62;<p>I highly recommend a hammock to anyone that is wanting to save space. I slept in one for 2+ years, and haven't found anything as comfortable since. It takes a little while to get used to, but it's great for your back - despite what you may think.

Also, with all that pushing and pulling it doubles as fitness center.

This is incredibly cool.<p>Of course, you'd have to put stuff back in its proper place every time otherwise the system would quickly break down.

Here is a book by Gary Chang on the same topic, sounds like it touches on the 30 year history of the apartment itself:<p><i>Intriguing as it is brilliant, architect Gary Changs 30 year-long project involves a continual experiment with his small apartment in a Hong Kong building block. Partly biographical though the way that it documents specific changes, needs and desires, it is also an ongoing study of what he calls the extreme conditions of Tight-Space a global phenomenon in which increasingly people live in high-density, hyper-urbanised environments. Photographs of various stages of the apartment are presented throughout and accompanied by plans, sketches, writings and observations.</i><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gary-Chang-32m2-Apartment-Transformation/dp/9889984261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&#38;s=books&#38;qid=1272269769&#38;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Gary-Chang-32m2-Apartment-Transformati...</a>

Its definitely a great little place, although I think it would be unbelievably cooler if the sliding rooms were automated/motorized in some way.<p>Just imagine it, you "leave" a room so it starts to pack itself up and depending on which way you turn, it starts to unpack the other room, giving it more of a organic freeflowing form.

Commentary on the New York Times article posted last year: <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=435034" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=435034</a>

Life imitates 1938 Disney--cool that someone finally got it right; I wonder if he can modularize and sell his system. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9p8iaKVOAw" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9p8iaKVOAw</a>).

This could only work for people living on their own. What's gona happen if one person wants to watch tv and another wants to shower? Also the tinted windows would get very annoying after like 1 day, they would make you feel sleepy. Very cool design though.

This is a great example of someone embracing constraints and thinking of creative solutions.

Article in the times this weekend about a similarly sized (though differently decorated) apartment in manhattan. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/realestate/25habi.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/realestate/25habi.html</a>

You would think they would choose a color other than yellow for the windows since it just makes the Hong Kong haze look worse... Or perhaps the windows aren't tinted...

Somewhat reminds me of the small house movement in the states: <a href="http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/</a>

It would be interesting to try this concept out on liveaboard boats. They have much the same problems of not enough space.

He redefines the IKEA zen.

Hey I just tweeted this the other day!<p><a href="http://twitter.com/bunsen/status/12555413021" rel="nofollow">http://twitter.com/bunsen/status/12555413021</a>