The challenge of designing a house with a tight budget and space constraints, together with the essential duty of responding correctly to the requirements of the user, is sometimes one of the most challenging and motivating tasks an architect can face. How can you take advantage of space most effectively? How can you avoid wasted material? How do you anticipate the possible future expansion of the house? And how do you develop a simple design that also delivers value to its inhabitants?
To help you in this process, we scoured our projects archives to select 30 houses that provide interesting architectural solutions despite measuring less than 100 square meters.
70 Square Meters / ≈ 750 Square Foot
Casa Lampa / abarca+palma. Image © Andrés Maturana
Casa Lampa / abarca+palma
Casa Rio Bonito / Carla Juaçaba. Image © Nelson Kon
Casa Rio Bonito / Carla Juaçaba
Tinhouse / Rural Design. Image © David Barbour
Tinhouse / Rural Design
House 28 / studio edwards. Image © Tony Gorsevski
House 28 / studio edwards
Casa BSO / BLOS Arquitectos. Image © Gonzalo Viramonte
Casa BSO / BLOS Arquitectos
Casa Loba / Pezo von Ellrichshausen. Image © Pezo von Ellrichshausen
Casa Loba / Pezo von Ellrichshausen
Fiscavaig / Rural Design. Image © Rural Design
Fiscavaig / Rural Design
Tent House / Chris Tate Architecture. Image © Simon Devitt
Tent House / Chris Tate Architecture
Micro Cluster Cabins / Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter. Image © Lars Petter Pettersen
Micro Cluster Cabins / Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter
LESS House / H.a. Image © Quang Dam
LESS House / H.a
80 Square Meters / ≈ 860 Square Foot
Quiet House / ARTELABO architecture. Image © Marie-Caroline Lucat
Quiet House / ARTELABO architecture
Urban Cottage / CoLab Architecture. Image © Stephen Goodenough
Urban Cottage / CoLab Architecture
Casa Remota / Felipe Assadi. Image © Fernando Alda
Casa Remota / Felipe Assadi
Recycling Housing / Juan Tohme. Image © Bicubik Fotografía de Arquitectura
Recycling Housing / Juan Tohme
Termitary House / Tropical Space. Image © Hiroyuki Oki
Termitary House / Tropical Space
Casa Mckenzie / Atelier Workshop. Image © Paul Mcredie
Casa Mckenzie / Atelier Workshop
Bungaló LMM / Cadaval & Solà-Morales. Image © Sandra Pereznieto
Bungaló LMM / Cadaval & Solà-Morales
Casa Cozzi / Germán Müller. Image © Federico Cairoli
Casa Cozzi / Germán Müller
Casa MA / PYO arquitectos. Image © Imagen Subliminal
Casa MA / PYO arquitectos
House in the Orchard / ŠÉPKA ARCHITEKTI. Image © Tomáš Malý
House in the Orchard / ŠÉPKA ARCHITEKTI
90 Square Meters / ≈ 970 Square Foot
Casa MAJO / Estudio 111 Arquitectos. Image © Yordana Andaur
Casa MAJO / Estudio 111 Arquitectos
weeHouse / Alchemy. Image © Geoffrey Warner
weeHouse / Alchemy
Casa Marindia / MASA Arquitectos. Image © Federico Cairoli
Casa Marindia / MASA Arquitectos
A House for Children / GRAD arkitekter. Image © Karin Björkquist
A House for Children / GRAD arkitekter
Casa Patio / alberto facundo _arquitectura. Image © German Cabo
Casa Patio / alberto facundo _arquitectura
Casa de Ladrillos / Ventura Virzi arquitectos. Image © Federico Kulekdjian
Casa de Ladrillos / Ventura Virzi arquitectos
Casa Gaspar / Alberto Campo Baeza. Image © Hisao Suzuki
Casa Gaspar / Alberto Campo Baeza
Refugio en José Ignacio / MAPA. Image © Leonardo Finotti
Refugio en José Ignacio / MAPA
The Aluminum Cabin / JVA. Image © Nils Petter Dale
The Aluminum Cabin / JVA
House in Fukaya / Nobuo Araki. Image © Shimizu Ken
House in Fukaya / Nobuo ArakiAuthor: José Tomás Franco This article was first published in Arch Daily and is republished with permission. Note: This article was originally published on April 24, 2018, and updated on June 22, 2020