In collaboration with
Abitare in a tower, on a boat or in an old church
8 examples from Japan, Denmark, Italy and many other countries
Not for everyone the ideal home and the classic villa with swimming pool or a mega loft in Manhattan. Some people dream of missile silos, shipping containers or old railroad cars. Join us on a tour to discover some of the most unusual houses in the world. 1. The greenhouse house, Germany
Photo by Julia Schoppe – Discover more exterior photos
When you enter the home of the Kremkau family in Hanover it seems to be in the tropics: the air is warm, humid and smells of the exotic. The owners love plants so much that they have made them their profession: they are florists and gardeners. The next step was to live in a greenhouse. But for this choice to have the necessary permits and habitability, the couple had to add a ventilation system, a rainwater recovery system and a hail-resistant glass ceiling. They now have a 360 m² house surrounded by greenery. 2. An old church turned house in Australia
Professional: Sandberg Schoffel Architects
Located in the open countryside some 250 kilometers southwest of Sydney, this former church was an empty and dilapidated ruin. The external elements were in good condition. Architect Michael Sandberg had to carry out some modifications to maintain the local granite buttresses, the Gothic windows and the double-hinged entrance door. 3. Floating on the Seine, France
Professional: yann coulouarn architecte
This bright loft used to be a merchant barge in the 1930s and in the 1970s it was transformed into a 130 m² houseboat where a family lives today. Architect Yann Coulouarn lowered the floor to increase the height of the ceilings to just over 2 meters. Walls and furnishings are white to make the living room bright and spacious. To emphasize the space, solid oak planks have been distributed on the floor. 4. Old guard, in Livorno
Professional: Archipiu
The building was built over a thousand years ago near Livorno. It was used as a watchtower to observe the Tyrrhenian coast, 2 km away. Today it has become a 48 m² holiday home, divided into three floors with a large terrace. On fine days, you can see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A group of local artisans followed by the architect Francesco Garzella of Archipiu manually installed the wooden floor, so as to give a marine aspect to the whole house. A 140 m² swimming pool has been inserted in the garden. 5. Container house, Denmark
Professional: STOCK 35
The Stock35 architecture studio designed this house for the Svendsen couple. Their previous home was no longer accessible to the disabled daughter. The new house was built inside a refurbished shipping container with corrugated metal sheets in Frederiksborg County, on the island of Zealand, about 30 minutes north of Copenhagen. The interiors are made of plasterboard. 6. Inside a wagon, in the UK
Professional: Chris Snook
This old train car lay unused in Dungeness in the county of Kent in England and has been transformed into a bright beach house. Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire of furniture brand Mini Moderns fell in love with the project. It took the builders about six months to complete the renovations. Hampshire and Stephenson have avoided any decorative elements typical of beach houses. “We are so in touch with the beach that we don’t need driftwood and this kind of lure,” says Stephenson. 7. Container port, Japan
Professional: コ ン テ ナ ハ ウ ス 2040JP
The 30-year-old who lives in this container house in Shiroi, Chiba prefecture, Japan, is passionate about motorcycles and the industrial style of the house was perfect for hosting his collection. The house is made up of 7 different stacked containers: three for the ground floor and four for the second floor, for a total area of approximately 110 m². 8. Water Tower, Russia
Professional: Alieksandr Luniew, Tomsk
Aleksandr Lunev fell in love with this building so much that he wanted to make it his home. “Three years ago a friend of mine sent me a link informing me that the city administration of Tomsk, in Western Siberia. He wanted to rent the old water tower that the imperial government had built along the Trans-Siberian railway in 1895, ”says Lunev. “I went to the scene the same night, and sneaked inside. I stayed there for a few hours, thinking about how I would decorate everything and imagining what it would be like to live there. It took 8 months to complete all the paperwork. Eventually I managed to buy it for 1.5 million rubles and spent another 3 million to renovate it. Now I’m practically broke – but I have no remorse ».
Save
Save
Save
