Boxhome Small House Project by Rintala Eggertsson

Due to the ever-changing weather, all residential buildings in the north area have to be constructed in an advanced way. In Oslo, Norway, architect Rintala Eggertsson started a residential project which occupied 19 square meters area. It called the Boxhome.

A peaceful small home, a kind of urban cave. It’s what Eggertsson described their project with four rooms which covers the basic living functions: kitchen with dining, bathroom, living room and bedroom. It was built of timber frame and was clad in alumunium. Certain species of wood was chosen to build the partition for each room inside.

An eco friendly house concept was the major thing behind the project. Today the construction industry is responsible for more than one third of total global energy and material consumption, well exceeding that of all traffic and transport. Egertsson thought that building smaller homes would bring about a considerable economical and ecological benefit. Less space, less energy consumption, and also less pollution.

Firstly, the project focuses on the quality of space, materials and natural light, and tries to reduce unnecessary floor area. The result is a dwelling which is a quarter of the price of any same size apartment in the same area. Boxhome is a prototype building, yet the same attitude could be taken further to bigger family housing and consequently to work places.

The basic need to house a family has become a great business adventure. Making a simple house, after all, is perhaps not such a difficult task. Moreover, meeting the official construction restrictions and laws usually means the use of building industry products and services, thus limiting the possibility of real change and development.

Finally, and most importantly, the goal has been to make a peaceful small home, a kind of urban cave, where a person can withdraw to, and whenever they wish, forget the intensity of the surrounding city for a while.

Client: Galleri ROM, Maridalsveien 3, Oslo, Norway
Curator: Henrik de Menassian

Work group:
Sami Rintala, architect Oslo
Dagur Eggertson, architect Oslo
John Roger Holte, artist Oslo
Julian Fors, architect student Vienna

Sponsors:
Aspelin-Ramm/ funding
Infill/ funding
Ruukki/ metal facades
Pilkington Floatglass/ windows
Optimera Industri/ interior wood
Vitra Scandinavia/ chair and lamps
SM-Lys/ lamps
Byggmakker/ construction material
Glava Isolasjon/ insulation

Materials:
wood:
pine/ structures
cypress/ interior walls and floors
birch/ kitchen
spruce/ bathroom
red oak/ living room
nut/ bedroom

aluminium:
facades

Size: exterior measures 5500 cm (length) x 5700 cm (height) x 2300 cm (width).

Via