Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Mouse Trap House: Windowless Facade, Pop-Top Surprise

Posted: 15 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT

pop top us

When opened, it looks a lot like an animal box trap – the top appears propped up and the resulting opening lets in both light and air. When closed, also like a box trap, it lacks windows entirely.

pop top house interior

Set in a remote area within Paraguay, this small residence is made to be shut when its owners are away, its windowless steel top makes it more secure from vandals or opportunistic thieves.

pop top windowless living

Designed by Laboratoriode Arquitectura, the home is less than 100 square meters in size. Its residents enter on the main floor then make their way up to the cantilevered loft section, which in turn opens back out with views on three sides when the box is lifted (from the inside, of course).

pop top temperate home

Of course, this kind of design will only fly in places with the right combination of climate and building code – the direct open-air ventilation is great for moderate temperatures, and it is nice to dangle your feet off the edge, but in many places neither would work.