French architects 2A Design offer an intriguing piece of residential architecture that is surprisingly small and low cost, situated on a relatively tiny plot in a rural village and quite remarkably, made of shipping containers.
The choice to build with containers was due to both size and budget constraints as it so happens that the container dimensions were an exact fit with the buildable zone of the diminutive plot. The containers were prefabricated off site in a factory then assembled on site all in approximately 3 months.
The project is sliced in 3 levels. Each level is a 100 sqm area. The superpostion of those different sequencies shape the house. Now we are able on this little plot to organize a complete program of the desired urban villa. The ground level, is more technical : parking zone for two cars, the covered entrance and the technical rooms; a sewing studio and a laundry.
The first level, or garden level, caters to a comfortable living area (sitting, dining and kitchen) which is the main volume of the house. This main volume presents two glass facades. The first facing above the street and the other facing the small garden at the back of the house. Two bedrooms and a shared bathroom are also housed on this level.
The last level, is the parents room with an adjoining large roof terrace. This space is a kind of solarium, maybe the most qualitative place of the house. From there, you can enjoy a view from the village to the natural landscape of the country. Giving back the roof of the villa to its inhabitants is the only way to propose large outdoor spaces on such a small plot. The terrace is also planted with trees allowing for a garden like experience on this level.
