The Earth's population in 2018 exceeded the 7.4 billion mark. And every day the space available for life is reduced. Given this, many people prefer to build small and even supercompact houses. We present you a list of 10 smallest houses and buildings in the world. It will be convenient to live in such a building - decide for yourself.
10. North Queensferry Lighthouse in Scotland
This lighthouse in Scotland, built in 1817, is only 3.3 meters high. To get to its top from the bottom you need to take 24 steps. Once you reach the top floor, you will find that there is enough space for two people.
Now the smallest residential lighthouse in the world has become a tourist attraction, which is under the supervision of the North Queensferry Heritage Society.
9. Riverside House in Japan
In Japan, very expensive housing. However, savvy people found a way out, turning to the experience of the past - Kyosho jutaku, a variant of the microcity. This practice dates back to the 13th century, when the poet Kamo no Choi wrote an essay about the joys of living in a hut. Of course, modern Japanese people do not build huts for themselves, replacing them with micro-houses with all amenities.
One of these miniature houses is Riverside House, created by the architect Kango Kuma. It is built on a 55 m² plot, yet spacious enough for 2 adults and one child. The two-story building, despite its ultra-small size, is very elegant and comfortable. It has a children's play area, a kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, a relaxation area and a workplace. But there are no cabinets in the house, instead of them, special places were invented for storing things.
The entire end of the building is occupied by a vertical window, which transmits a lot of light and thereby saves energy.
8. Square House in Idaho
Divorce is a traumatic experience; it can morally empty a person, drive him into apathy and depression. But not in the case of an architectural designer, Macy Miller. A few years ago, Miller survived a divorce and was faced with the need to seek new housing. She spent $ 11,400 on the construction of a small house measuring 18.21 square meters. And now he lives in it together with his new boyfriend, child and great mastiff.
7. Library of Prince Edward Island in Canada
Libraries are what modern civilization cannot do without. We are used to thinking of the library as a large room full of books. However, there are also very tiny libraries in size, and one of them is located in the smallest province in Canada - on the island of Prince Edward. It covers an area of 3.3 x 3.3 meters, contains almost 1800 books, and father and daughter are engaged in their issuance and storage.
6. Tiny Victorian Cottage in New York
You must have often heard calls: "Make your dream come true." We do not know if their mistress heard this beautiful home, but she nevertheless embodied her ideal of home at home. An unrecognizable woman from Catskill cheated on a hunting hut, making it an amazing Victorian cottage. It does not have a toilet and kitchen, but there is everything else that is necessary for a normal life. The trunks of the trees that held the roof of the porch turned into antique columns, and inside the house it was light and cozy. A luxurious sofa, a small table, floor, walls and even a huge crystal chandelier are all dazzling white.
5. House on a rock in Serbia
This small house balances on a cliff and undergoes all weather changes for 50 years. In 1968, a group of young swimmers rested on a large boulder in the middle of the Drina River, and decided that a more comfortable place to relax should be created. This decision did not come by chance, the guys were “regulars” of the boulder, they sunbathed on it and fished.
At first, a platform was built from boards taken from the old barn. But, as they say, the appetite comes with eating, gradually the walls and the roof joined the platform. And now the lonely house proudly towered where it is difficult to imagine.
For a long time, only local residents knew about the construction. The house on the rock gained wide popularity after the Hungarian photographer Irene Becker took photos and posted them on the Web. Now it is one of the tourist attractions of the city of Bayina Bashta.
4. Newby MacMahon Building in Texas
The city of Wichita Falls, became famous for the smallest skyscraper in the world, although not wanting it. In 1919, engineer J.D. McMahon convinced investors to invest $ 200,000 in the construction of a skyscraper. Investors did not study the MacMahon project properly, but in vain. He mistakenly indicated the height of the building not in feet, but in inches. As a result, it was only 12 meters. For the title of the tallest building in the world, this little one certainly will not claim.
3. Marina House in Wales
This 3.05 x 1.8 meter building is considered the smallest house in the UK and is also one of the popular tourist attractions. Once upon a time, the house belonged to a rather high (1.85 meters) fisherman Robert Jones.
The only drawback of the home is the lack of a toilet.
2. Ochopee Florida Post Office
The Russian Post has many shortcomings, but few complain about the size of post offices. And compared with the post office opened in the American city of Ochopi, Russian “colleagues” are simply giants.
The first post office in this town was destroyed in a fire in 1953. And instead of restoring it, the local authorities simply took the gardener's booth, where the watering hoses were stored, and turned it into a postal booth. This office is fully operational, regularly receives and sends mail. But visitors have to stand outside, there is enough space inside for exactly one employee.
1. Nanoparticle House in Besancon
Here it is, the smallest house in the world. But you will not see him without a very, very, very powerful microscope. It is too small for a man and even for a ladybug. And only 15 micrometers high. It was created by researchers of nanorobots from the French Institute Femto-ST.
The smallest building in the world is made of a silicon wafer with a thickness of 1.2 micrometers. For its construction, the researchers used a device called the μRobotex system, which combines a double scanning electron microscope, a focused ion beam, a gas injection system, and a tiny maneuverable robot. The micro-house assembly process was somewhat similar to the art of origami.
- A focused ion beam cut silicon dioxide no worse than scissors cut paper.
- To make the joints between the base and walls thin enough, they were irradiated with gallium ions.
- Gas spraying was used to weld the house at the seams.
- Two parts of the roof, cut from a silicon wafer, were delivered to the house by a micromanipulator, and then they were gas-welded. The finished micro-building even has a chimney, because "in winter in Besançon it is cold and snowing."
The project was an interesting way to demonstrate that μRobotex can work with a deflection of not more than two nanometers.
