Inhabitat

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as i’m exploring this idea myself, i’ve become more aware of rooftops in new york city — development here is exploding, there’s lots of construction everywhere — but i’ve never seen a prefab being dropped on a roof. i’ve spoke with Lot-ek about such a project, they have had experience doing container prefabs on nyc roofs so that’s a positive thing… http://www.fabprefab.com/ has been a great resource for prefab research.

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[…] Like the Loft Cube or the Micro-compact Home, the weeHouse is a single module that can be plopped on just about any site, including a rooftop. The basic unit is framed with steel and wood, and comes with tongue-and-groove bamboo flooring, and Ikea cabinetry, kitchens and sinks. At present, the only “green” features it boasts are its extremely compact and efficient size, and off-site construction, but the company plans to incorporate more sustainable finishes and materials in the future. […]

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These are grand “hothouse” concepts, in the realm of the flying car. They are all extremely clever, compact, “small-is-beautiful/less-is-more”, liberated in their ingenuity. Out, standing in their field. Would that cities were as backpackable as a 20-something student-designer’s lifestyle! Basically, urban-scale environmental design is middle-class and legislation/litigation reaction-driven. Think of George Carlin’s riff on “A home is a place to put your ’stuff’”. Think of fire marshalls freaking on how people have to get down to the street during the fire/earhquake/medical emergency. Think of building officials freaking about penetrating roof membranes, structural supports, windloads, safety rails, waste and plumbing runs, etc. on buildings built up and remodeled over several decades. Think of where to park the “skyhook” in Manhattan, hell, Los Angeles or St. Louis, needed to swing one of any of these off the truck, over the curb, past the trees (if you are fortunate to have trees associated with the site) powerlines (if you are unfortunate enough to be in a backwater neighborhood with an aging powergrid infrastructure) and roof clutter (architects are lousy at roof design - roofs tend to be the catchall for mechanical systems afterthoughts, like toilet vents and dish antennae…). Think of a building owner who needs to be willing to have you plant your pidgeon coop (this is a landlord, remember) on his depreciating but profitable real estate investment. Think of what the neighbors will say (yeah, “THOSE people”). Think of this as not just a one-off, but manufactured to 1×10 to the 4th power, relative to the 10,000 candidates -students, yuppies, urban slackers, homeless, etc. - in search of cheap housing. Occupied by people that you probably know personally or peripherally, that loosely define the spectrum of the service population within your immediate region on the planet who would live in each one of those units. Sure, these micro-homes are kind of “special”, like finding that pair of perfect used blue jeans, or the matched set of conversation-piece beer steins. But not as portable, and more of a fixture in the landscape - like trailer parks and used car lots. What is needed is something more component-driven, plug-in, blendable while being innovative (and subversive) within the URBAN world as we find it. An anti-”A”rchitecture architecture…

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The reason this will never take off in NYC is that rooftops in NYC are tony real estate. put a cube on a roof in nyc, and we’re no longer looking at a 50k price tag or even a 100 k price tag, we’re looking at a 1 mill + price tag. living on a roof in manhattan with a 360 degree view? lets get real fellas.

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Perhaps slate, preferably from Grafton NY, with green veins to provide a design accent as well as a symbolic statement, could be integrated into Dia Scholvinck’s roof structure. Surely, the NYC Building Department would approve.

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[…] Werner Aissliner’s Loftcube is a pre-fab, sci-fi bachelor pad which offers its inhabitants compact, stylish living in just 36 square meters. Though its materials - largely plastic and wood - don’t exactly rank high on our list of “green,” the environmentally-conscious customer does have the option to outfit the Loftcube with solar paneling. Plus there is something unbelievably cool about your house being airlifted to anywhere you want via helicopter. […]

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I am looking into roof space in London, UK. As I am sure you’re all aware the London housing market is too expensive for the average and even above average earner. A roof-top recently became available for £80,000 GBP in Camden but was suddenly pulled from the market.

If there is anyone out there with a roof space I am willing to negotiate something. I have a Masters in Architecture:Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies and would love to put ideas into practice.

Oh! and have somewhere to live. It can be London, NYC or Paris

Regards
Lorenzo

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Looking for anyone who owns air rights or roof top space in NYC and would be interested in working with our art gallery to install a prefab installation. If you have any info or are interested in information from us - please contact