Creation of a living space for a teenager in a 12m² building.

h2o architectes have created a multi level living space using birch plywood as a single material forming an inhabitable piece of furniture occupying the interior of a neglected backyard building.

This little building, located in the owner’s backyard, was neglected for years. The aim of the project was to provide a private space for a teenager looking for his independence. Therefore, the program includes elements necessary for an autonomous life including sleeping, living, studying and washing. It had been decided between the parents and teenager that meals would still be a shared time in the family home.

Due to the very limited floor space (12m²) the architects tested different options assembling the programs into a kind of “inhabitable furniture”. Multiple spaces are connected in a unique volume in a series of four split-levels with dedicated areas for each of the programmatic functions.

Silver birch plywood was chosen as the singular material for this living-space-as-furniture, giving a visual coherence and unity to the details and interlocking spaces.

ARCHITECT: h2o architectes, Paris, France. CLIENT: Private. LOCATION: Chatou, Paris, France. AREA: 12 sqm. MATERIALS: Silver birch plywood. PROJECT TEAM: Charlotte Hubert, Jean-Jaques Hubert, Antoine Santiard. DATE: 2008. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.