Attractive places to live are in increasingly short supply in today’s cities. And when it comes to those living spaces, the responsible use of resources is an issue of gathering urgency. MINI LIVING – Breathe is develop by MINI teamed up with New York architects SO – IL to present a visionary solution to this two-pronged challenge.
The installation MINI LIVING–Breathe, by SO-IL is a forward-thinking interpretation of resource-conscious, shared city living within a compact footprint.
 
“MINI LIVING – Breathe calls into question conventional living concepts and introduces a creative problem-solving approach for future challenges in urban areas,” explains Esther Bahne, Head of Brand Strategy and Business Innovation MINI. “The installation shows what happens when we view houses not only as a space in which to live, but as an active part of our environment – one which plays a positive role for the environment and the people living there.”
 
MINI LIVING – Breathe: living, reinvented.

In keeping with MINI’s adherence to the principles “Creative use of space” and “Minimal footprint”, the installation by SO-IL creates an attractive living area for up to three people on a previously unused 50-square-metre urban plot. A modular metal frame forms the basic structure of MINI LIVING – Breathe, and a flexible, light-permeable outer skin creates the boundary between inside and outside. A total of six potential rooms and a roof garden provide space for personal fulfilment.

On the ground floor, a kitchen area acts as a spatial and social interface with the area around the installation – i.e. the outside of the world. It welcomes guests, brings people together and encourages them to engage with one another. Above it are various living areas, spread over three levels in all, which offer an inviting place to both relax and work. Sleeping areas, a potential wet area and the roof garden flesh out the installation’s upper reaches. The individual living areas are separated by light-permeable textile walls. This translucency allows people in other rooms to make out silhouettes and movements, and creates a feeling of connectedness and togetherness. But it also grants residents a sense of privacy, if preferable.

MINI LIVING – Breathe: the house as an active ecosystem.

However, the installation offers more than an attractive living space: “The approach we took with MINI LIVING – Breathe extends far beyond purely a living concept,” says Oke Hauser, Creative Lead of MINI LIVING. “We view the installation as an active ecosystem, which makes a positive contribution to the lives and experiences of the people who live there and to the urban microclimate, depicted here by the intelligent use of resources essential to life – i.e. air, water and light.”

The MINI LIVING – Breathe installation enhances the microclimate in urban areas. Its flexible outer skin has a special coating which filters and neutralises the air. Plus, the roof garden uses vigorous oxygen-producing plants to further improve air quality and the urban microclimate.

The outer skin is translucent, too. It floods the installation with daylight, ensuring a bright and pleasant atmosphere inside. An intelligent construction on the roof collects rainwater to be used later and taken from a tap, for example. The structure is mobile and adaptable. It is designed to be disassembled and installed at another location. The fabric is interchangeable, and can be replaced with one that performs appropriately to different climates.

“MINI LIVING – Breathe brings its residents into direct contact with their environment. By making living an active experience, the installation encourages visitors to confront our tendency to take resources for granted,” adds Ilias Papageorgiou, Principal at SO–IL.

MINI LIVING – Breathe will be on display throughout the duration of the Tortona Design Week Milan, from April 4-9. Find out more about events surrounding the installation, here.
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Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO – IL) is an idea-driven design office founded by Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu in 2008, and is currently led together by Ilias Papageorgiou. With a global reach, it brings together extensive experience from the fields of architecture, academia and the arts. The firm has extensive recognition and prizes, including the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League, the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program Award, and the AIA Young Architects Award. The office has received praise for many of its works including the design of the Frieze Art Fair New York, and for their largest building to date, the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California at Davis.

Partners.
Florian Idenburg, principal. Florian Idenburg (1975, the Netherlands) holds an MSc. in Architecture from Delft University of Technology. Prior to founding SO–IL, Idenburg gained eight years of experience at the practice of Pritzker laureates Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA. Idenburg is a recognized voice in academia and has held teaching positions at Harvard, Columbia, Princeton and the University of Kentucky.

Jing Liu, M Arch, principal. A native of China, Jing Liu received her education in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, concluding with a Master of Architecture from Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans. Liu has been a faculty member at The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University since 2009, and advises the Master’s thesis at Parsons The New School of Design. In addition to her professional and academic pursuits, Liu serves on the board of the Van Alen Institute.

Ilias Papageorgiou, partner. He was born in Athens, Greece. He holds a Diploma in Architecture from Aristotle University in Greece, and a Master's in Architecture from Harvard University. Papageorgiou has been with SO–IL since its inception in 2008 and has played a key role in the firm’s recognition and success. He became a partner in 2013. Besides practising, Papageorgiou is a frequent lecturer and visiting critic at various universities and has taught design studios at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

Team.
Sooran Kim,
associate, joined SO–IL in 2011 and relocated to Seoul to oversee the construction of the Kukje project. Sooran holds a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University.

Ted Baab, associate,  joined SO–IL in 2011. Ted holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard University.


> 2013.

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