The Canopy Cubes

Client / Location Shelter Corporation / Tokyo, Japan
Year / Status 2014 / Conceptual
Typology Modular Residential, Micro Housing, Competition Entry 
Site Area / Built-up Area Modular / 29 sq.m.

The 'Canopy Cubes' takes the idea of occupying vacant urban terraces for temporary / short stay living . The dwellings consists of two cubes; the 'bed' cube and the 'service' cube; placed on a wooden deck of 4.8m x 6m that also incorporated an open air 'living' space. The idea represents an initial step towards minimal urban living as an intermediate solution for the increasingly expensive urban conditions.

The recycled wooden structure proposed for Japanese conditions are optimised for safe performance during earthquakes while providing ease of transportability and assembly in the required site. The slender and light weight wooden panels that make up the structure can be dismantled and carried out to any destination where it can be erected. Thus the project also provides an opportunity for users to carry their living space while shifting to different urban quarters or locations.