Plastic House

Architecture Republic designed the interior of this unique house inserting a cruciform object made of polycarbonate and steel.

Here is the project description:

The project begins with removal,­ of the existing extension, internal walls and earth, bringing the entire house to lower ground-floor level. This opens the volume of the house as a double-height vessel, full of light.

A cruciform object is inserted; a piece of architectural furniture which spreads tree-­like from a concentrated base. Services such as kitchen, toilet, storage and stairwell are housed within this trunk, providing for living and dining in the spaces around it.

Above this, is a platform for sleeping, dressing and study spaces. The four branches of the structure hold various functions, two which span to the side walls act as wardrobes while that to the front is a cantilevered reading desk for the teacher-­client. The fourth branch extends through the rear wall and projects two meters beyond it housing a shower room, which is glazed to the sky.

The insertion is constructed with polycarbonate and steel. This lightweight structure is also the primary source of light in the evening, inset fittings cause its translucent surfaces to illuminate the spaces, which it generates above, below and between the object and its container.