The “BIG & small HOUSE” was built last year by Anonymous Architects. Located in the Northeast LA enclave of Glassell Park, the approx. 1200 square foot home occupies a mere 2500 square foot lot. Says the Arch Daily: “Starting with a vacant lot that was half of the typical minimum lot size, the objective was to compensate for the relatively small footprint of the house.”

“To achieve this there are only two full height walls inside the house which makes the main interior room nearly as large as the building footprint. This gives the house an open lofted feeling with very high ceilings and abundant natural light.”

The Big & small House is delightful on a variety of levels, not the least of which are its overall subtlety and ingenious use of space. It also heralds the emergence of Glassell Park, a neighborhood where architects and designers are finding the space — and inspiration — to do wonderful things. With a prime location between Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, Mount Washington and Highland Park, “GP” is a rising star in real estate. But don’t wait too long. For assistance in either buying or selling in this fast-rising NELA enclave, contact the people who know it best: the experts at Tracy Do Real Estate.

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Photos and drawings courtesy of Anonymous Architects.

That’s the premise behind Graham Hill’s Life Edited apartment in NYC, a remarkable feat of engineering that could be a template for similar small-but-efficient living environments in our urban future. Michael Hession of Gizmodo reported recently on this unique space and there’s a video tour as well, demonstrating how everything pulls out, snaps on and comes together.Not everyone’s idea of the dream apartment, perhaps. But you have to admire the ingenuity.

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From Carter Williamson Architects in Sydney, Australia, comes this wonderful realization of what a “temporary shelter” can be.

From Arch Daily: “Arriving flat-packed, the Shelter can be assembled quickly and has the potential to make a significant difference when applied to a range of medium to long-term housing solutions… Most importantly, by providing refuge and security for families and communities in crisis.”

“Beyond emergency relief, the Shelter is known as Pavilion, a flexible module of space that could be used as a holiday house, a remote research laboratory… whatever can be conceived of in 37.5 sqm.”

We can think of many applications for a beautifully designed structure like this one. For more photos and schematics visit Carter Williamson Architects and Arch Daily.

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Images courtesy of Carter Williamson Architects and Arch Daily.

From a team at the Universitat Politècnica in Barcelona comes a building innovation to help save our planet: concrete with sustainable organic life right on its surface. Says the Science Daily, the facade “offers environmental, thermal and aesthetic advantages over other similar construction solutions. The material improves thermal comfort in buildings and helps to reduce atmospheric CO₂ levels.”

Arch Daily adds: “Sustainability has evolved far beyond being a trend and has become an indelible part of this design process… We have seen renditions of the vertical garden and vegetated facades, but what sets the biological concrete apart from these other systems is that it is an integral part of the structure.”

Photos courtesy of the Science Daily and Arch Daily.

There’s a cool, very inspiring piece in the LA Times today about the work of talented students in the Woodbury School of Architecture’s Design/Build program. Best part, they’re doing it for a great cause: the Shadow Hills Riding Club and their innovative equestrian therapy program.

That’s the question posed in an article by James B. Stewart, published yesterday in the NY Times. “If it’s $100 million, is it art?” We’ve seen these stratospheric prices attached to certain unique properties in places like LA, Miami, NYC. So what’s the answer? I can only speak from my own experience: a home is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

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Photo courtesy of the New York Times