Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Sustainable 1-Person Getaway: Not for the Claustrophobic

Posted: 10 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT

There is almost no one in the world who hasn’t wished for a place of complete solitude, where we can get away and be entirely on our own.  Italian designer Renzo Piano built just such a place: a cabin that can accommodate only one person at a time.

Called Diogene after Diogenes, the Greek philosopher who chose to live in a barrel rather than in luxury, the one-room hut is self-sufficient. It includes solar panels, a rainwater collection system, and a biological toilet. The exterior is clad in aluminum panels to protect it from the elements.

This fortress of solitude is a mere three meters (nine feet) wide, but it manages to contain everything one could need for solitary living (provided you could stand being alone in a tiny space for long). A pull-out sofa serves as both seating and a sleeping space, a small folding table provides a place to eat or work, and a shower, toilet and kitchen fill out the rest of the space.

According to the designer, the Diogene is not meant to be deployed to disaster-stricken areas as emergency shelter. Rather, this is a place of voluntary solitude where one can go to get away from everything. Used as a weekend retreat or as a backyard office, the Diogene delivers a sustainable and minimalist getaway.

    

Hammock Bathtub: Suspend Your Disbelief and Take a Bath

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT

What could be more relaxing than hanging from a hammock in the shade? Perhaps filling it with water, and luxuriating in a bath within that same relaxing shape from Splinter Works.

A stainless steel tap rises up and hangs over one side to fill the carbon-fiber tub (which itself is suspended from the walls by stainless steel brackets). The bathtub is, in turn, drained through the floor.

Lest you wonder where all the heat goes while you soak, there is a foam core to the carbon fiber shell to provide insulation, keeping the water warm. This layer is somewhat hidden due to the tapering of the tub shell around its edges.

Splinter Works founder Miles Hartwell explains the design: "Struck by the synergy between the shapes of two compelling symbols of relaxation, a hammock and a bath tub, we were inspired to develop a piece that would provide the ultimate vehicle for total escapism."

    

Comments system

Disqus Shortname