Michelle and Andy came to the LAAB with great plans and a long wish list for the apartment, asking us to accommodate a full kitchen, large bathtub, home theater, gym, cat friendly spaces and plenty of storage space in Only 28sqm.
To accomplish its ambitious plans, our LAAB team had to think beyond static spaces. We begin to look at time as a factor, eventually projecting the space around a "Way of Time" philosophy, which means that open and closed spaces depending on the purposes required at that particular time. This is best demonstrated by the bath area of the apartment. This space can take the following forms:
The traditional bathroom with bathtub.
Separate bathtub so a guest can bathe while the host brushes their teeth or vice versa
2nd layer seats creating a two tier home theater or seating for large groups of friends
Guest room with short stay
These forms can also be combined allowing for a home theater experience while in the bath, or movie viewing for the host and guest while they are both in bed. Reaching this level of flexibility in this area and others required more than 30 design iterations and large amounts of experimentation.
See the before and after apartment of 28m²
Meticulous planning and extraordinary craftsmanship was instrumental in achieving this project. It depended on the absolute synchronization of components, structures and appliances, everything that moves or can be revealed when necessary, creating tolerance of construction of only 3mm. In addition, all elements, from the curved 4K TV, to the dining table, the makeup table and storage are designed to hide in a flat and smooth to maintain a smooth and spacious appearance.
A range of application-controlled smart home technologies have also been implemented, notably Philips Hue lamps and intelligent August locking. The lights are able to slowly illuminate the room in the morning, giving the couple a light wake up call while the door lock means they can effortlessly enter or send electronic keys to friends to help them take care of their cats.
Cats and their needs have been a very important factor in this design. You could say that the apartment was not only designed for Michelle and Andy but also for their three cats, Banoffee, Dumpling and Smoking. Cat areas include a cat walk around the ceiling, cat ladder, litterbox hidden underneath the bathroom sink, trays of cat food hidden in the kitchen cabinets and a hidden slit so they can relax.
Implementing these animal friendly concepts was a challenge. Materials, details and mechanical systems were all strategically designed to keep the spaces dry, clean, cat friendly and without undesirable smells. For example, the cat litter box was equipped with its own ventilation system that extracts odors from the building.
"Most important is the comfort of the apartment.Many of our friends come and visit our place, and they have never seen such a nice kitchen, even though their own apartments are bigger than ours." - Andy and Michelle.
Source: https://goo.gl/f0jVqj
