What is it about small buildings that can be so endearing? Could it be the way that they are able to conjure, to paraphrase William Blake, a universe in a grain of sand? Is it devoid of only the most basic utility, they could be explorations of ideas past the need for”this and that”? Or is it that they can be wonderful laboratories to research design ideas without budget concerns?
My sense is that we adore small buildings for these reasons and more. So here are a few that I find especially endearing.
And incidentally, in the event you’re interested, here is the full opening stanza from Blake’s”Auguries of Innocence”:
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hands,
And eternity in an hour.
Seems to me that studying some of Blake’s writings while enjoying these small wonders would make for a terrific moment.
Bluetime Collaborative
Just like a Fay Jones chapel, this screened sleeping area celebrates its simple, wood-frame construction while it nestles itself in the forests. When weather permits, what a spot to sleep in the outside.
Deane Rykerson
Screened”away” rooms are ideal opportunities to create an opuscule — or small, endearing function — with style. Like an Asian teahouse, this screened room is the ideal location for reading a book, taking a rest or sipping some tea.
Bjon Pankratz
How lucky these kids are! Without leaving home, they can get away from their parents.
Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects
A small wonder can also be a full-size home, something that does not ramble on and utilize a whole lot of property. Just a couple of rooms — just enough rather than too much distance.
Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects
A small home does not have to reside small. Big attributes, like oversize doors, expand the area of the house to the size of the great outdoors.
Bud Dietrich, AIA
Is the outhouse. Though we don’t have cause to create these anymore, these incredibly functional and important buildings ranged from the most simple to that which might be quite elegant. One of the best are to be found in Colonial Williamsburg, where the structure of this kind of opuscule rivals that of a number of the main houses.
Seems to me that a tub on its own out in the landscape might be quite nice. So let us bring back the outhouse, but make it even more contemporary and with more amenities this time around.
A garden shed is just one. It’s a place to store those garden tools, to do potting and to receive your hands dirty. This kind of opuscule does not have to be a shed. Try something more contemporary, open and cutting edge should you dare.
Feldman Architecture, Inc..
An outbuilding can hide in plain sight. Since this small wonder is put down in the ridge and coated with a green roof, so you won’t understand it is here if you are not looking for it.
Alex Amend Photography
A small wonder does not have to be out in the woods and away from it all. Some of the greatest opuscules could be momentary tents erected onto a rooftop. Providing a feeling of shelter and place, this rooftop construction is at the same time personal and connected to the world at large.