Architecture

Sustainable Housing Units that Turn an Empty Room into an Apartment

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Interior boxes aren’t just for swanky private homes. Here, you can see them reimagined as sustainable housing units that turn empty rooms into fully-functional apartments. Created by the Portuguese architecture studio OODA, the freestanding units serve as a bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchen, an office, and a storage area.

OODA has put the innovative design to use as affordable housing for young people and tourists of Porto. In what is known as the LOIOS Development, they transformed underused historical buildings in the city center into 16 unique studios.

Each space features one of the multi-volume units. Strong yet not overly industrial, the structure is made of steel, reinforced with cement fiber board and fiberglass panels, and decorated with perforated Valchromat representing classical artwork. Moreover, each unit has its own shape, color, and pattern, making this design as individual as it is eco-friendly and budget-wise.

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