The lot purchased by a homeowner might be seemingly impossible - clinging to a sheer cliff, squeezing into tight spaces, or consisting of an odd geometric shape - but by god, architects will find a solution. Whether by building up from a postage-stamp-sized property, zig-zagging a house between its neighbours or designing a home in the shape of a giant X, architecture firms have found ways to use seemingly undesirable spaces, leading to some very unusual and imaginative residences.
1. Twisting Zig-Zag House
To most people, it wouldn’t seem like there was actually room for a new house in this extremely narrow, oddly-shaped space between several other residences. But in Japan, every square inch counts.
Alphaville architects came up with a novel approach: a zig-zagging house that might skim its neighbours by mere inches in some spots, but still manages to feel private inside thanks to very careful placement of windows and courtyards.
2. X-Shaped Cliffside House
How do you build a house on a sheer cliff that has views on every side, but still feels private, and is virtually invisible from the street? Cadaval & Solá-Morales architects created a two-story, X-shaped residence that clings to the cliff, with the roof functioning as a driveway and terrace.
Each side of the home’s edge gets its own sweeping view of Barcelona without facing any of the neighbours. Incisions at the top and bottom of the ‘X’ let in light while maintaining that privacy.
3. Super-Skinny Cliff-Hugging House
The slightest wedge of a lot on a rocky cliff gave way to this narrow, sloping house by Shuhei Endo. The triangular lot was confined by a Y-shaped intersection and several other residences, and gets as narrow as 5 feet at some points.
Tucking the home beside the retaining wall anchors it, and a narrow space between the wall and the home provides a light-filled, private outdoor space with architectural interest.
4. Oceanfront Cabin on Stilts
The strip of land this oceanfront cabin is built upon is hardly larger than a parking spot. But owner of that land wanted Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects to create a relaxing weekend getaway overlooking Sagami Bay, with views of Mount Fuji in the distance.
The result is ‘Window House,’ a slim residence built on steel poles to protect it from storm surges and enable those stunning views. The interior features staggered lofts accessible by stairs and ladders.
5. Spite House Built on Pie-Shaped Lot
The Seattle Spite House was built on a pie-shaped piece of land adjacent to a larger home, and gets so narrow at one end that it’s hard to open the oven door all the way.
The story goes that it was built in 1925 out of spite because the tiny, odd-shaped lot was all that was given to a wife in a contentious divorce, and she was determined to make the most of it. The home sold for nearly US$400K in 2013.
6. House Shaped by Setbacks & Zoning
A 66-percent grade, a tight budget and a mess of strict local ordinances made designing a home for this slope in Silverlake, California quite a challenge for Brooks + Scarpa architects.
The solution was to use light-gauge, cold-rolled steel that can fold on demand to basically mould a series of concrete volumes and voids to the slope.
7. Narrow Hidden Courtyard Home
The owners of an L-shaped lot wanted to take full advantage of the available space while enjoying a sense of privacy, despite the fact that the buildable borders of the property but right up against several neighbouring structures. The street-fronting portion is incredibly narrow, while a larger section is tucked away beyond the alley.
Mount Fuji Architects responded with the Near House, which has two separate living volumes: a super-skinny one facing the street, and a larger one with the private family spaces in the back. A courtyard in between connects the two and creates a tranquil outdoor getaway.
8. Narrow OH House, Tokyo
If you want to build a new house in Tokyo’s hottest neighbourhoods, you’ve got to get really creative, given the general lack of space. Atelier Tekuto Co. Ltd. built the ‘OH House’ with a narrow three-story plan, the first level tucked below grade for privacy.
A parking pad leading to the street-level floor is made of mesh to allow sunlight to penetrate to the lower level.
9. Promenade House
A lot just 13 feet wide and 115 feet deep serves as the basis for the Promenade House by FORM/Koulchi Kimura Architects, which itself measures just nine feet across.
An open-plan layout and high ceilings inside help the galley-style layout feel less claustrophobic.
10. Ultra-Compact House on 313-Square-Foot Lot
As narrow as a single-wide trailer, this house by Mizuishi Architect Atelier packs quite a bit of function into a two-story space that still manages to leave room for a parking spot and tiny garden on a 313-square-foot lot. The inside feels bright and airy thanks to high ceilings and large windows.
11. Triangular Slovakian Apartment Building
Another wedge-shaped lot fronting a busy street became the unlikely site of a rather striking modern apartment building in Slovakia. Nice Architects filled out the entire lot with a triangle-shaped, four-story structure with balconies that jut out of the facade.
12. Long Lean Multi-Family House
Set on a narrow hillside plot, this four-story house in the Swiss Alps by L3P Architects measures nine meters across and contains three individual apartments with unique layouts.
The side of the building that faces other structures has relatively few, carefully placed windows, while the side overlooking the scenery features long stretches of glazed walls.
13. Fortress Wall House Squeezed Between Cliff & Street
Reflecting the looks and history of a nearby fortress, the Wall House by AND’ROL architecture is built on a thin strip of land between a street and a sheer cliff in Brussels.
A split-level layout maximizes space on the sloping site, and the facade facing traffic has minimal windows. Fibreboard siding installed at a 45-degree angle mimics the look of the fortress’ stone walls.
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