The Architecture of Choice. Noah’s Housing

WHO IS THIS FOR?

NOAH Male, 24 years old; Lives in California; Primary income: design, photography Hobbies: surfing, cooking, guitar

Noah was born in California and frequently moved between different cities and countries due to his parents' work. In total, he lived in six different cities during his life, which greatly broadened his horizons and made him very adaptable.

At school, his teachers said Noah was talented but scattered; they saw his potential but couldn’t figure out what he would become. Choosing one thing or switching interests felt like a loss rather than growth.

Noah leads an active life—he plays sports and enjoys cooking. He has many friends, so someone is often over at his place. It is never boring.

Noah is unwilling and unable to choose a single identity. He strives to incorporate as many different experiences into one life as possible, to feel as many emotions as possible, without becoming fixated on just one thing.

The starting point of the concept is a metaphor involving balloons, where each balloon represents a specific interest of Noah.

Each interest corresponds to a specific space. For instance, Noah might have a certain set of blocks on a string. When the space is not needed, it ascends into the sky, awaiting a descent command. Noah can draw down any of the blocks to the ground that he currently needs.

In the history of architecture, there was a prior attempt to create housing of this kind—Japanese Metabolism—a mid-20th-century movement that offered an alternative to the ideology of functionalism.

In 1960, the idea of permanently renovating buildings was met with little interest. During operation, it became clear that this was costly and inefficient. For example, the «Nakagin» capsule tower began to degrade quickly, and just 35 years after its construction was completed, residents voted for its demolition.

But!

«Modern technologies allow the realization of the boldest projects, so there is hope that the metabolicists' experience will find its application in the 21st century.»

— Kiyonori Kikutake

All blocks are easily customizable. The spacing between the main columns is sufficient to accommodate a door or a folding partition anywhere. Within the columns, you can place both walls and windows. All dimensions are universal, making any idea easy to bring to life.