Industrial designer Aldana Ferrer Garcia also happens to be an architect, and she’s combined her skills in both fields to come up with some wonderful pop-out window concepts that lets those living in tiny, balcony-less apartments to get a little more exposure to the sun.
The ‘Hopper Niche’ concept extends outwards like an accordion, but it’s strong enough to support the weight of someone sitting on the frame and leaning back against the angled glass. It not only increases the livable space inside an apartment, it also provides some pseudo-outside space without actually requiring the occupants to go outside. That’s a big plus if you can only afford to live in a sketchy neighbourhood.
Garcia’s ‘Casement Niche’ is a similar idea, but instead of expanding it rotates outwards providing a cosy play for someone to sit and stare at the outside world. It’s a slightly easier design to implement, and weather-proof, but when retracted it does end up occupying some of the room’s interior space, which might not be as ideal for some.
There’s also a third concept design that looks like it’s the easiest to implement of all the three. Called the ‘Awning Niche’ it unfolds in a similar accordion-style to the ‘Hopper Niche,’ but inverted. Instead of being able to sit inside it, occupants are only able to lean out of the window to get a better view of what’s happening below.
The designs are reminiscent of the BloomFrame balcony-on-demand that first popped up some six years ago. But given these designs are slightly less ambitious, hopefully it means the odds of them being turned into real products are vastly increased.
[Aldana Ferrer Garcia via Core77]