If your world is feeling overwhelmingly and counterproductively materialistic, it may be time to downsize your life and move into a hut. That’s normal, right? And for all your sacrifice, your minimalist hut can be built by celebrity architect Renzo Piano. Intrigued?
Adding to the list of bomb diggity buildings on the Vitra Campus in Germany, the tiny Diogene cabin (named for the Greek philosopher who chose to live simply in a ceramic storage bin) is intended to be a bare-bones office or weekend retreat for one person. The hut collects rainwater for the shower and sink, includes a bio-toilet and has solar panels for power. Diogene includes a lot of built-in furniture to maximise space, like a pullout couch and slide-out desktop. Piano says:
This little house is the final result of a long, long journey partially driven by desires and dreams, but also by technicality and a scientific approach.
The cabin is still a prototype and it’s not clear if there are plans to build other Diogenes. Vitra says the hut is not for emergency use “but a voluntary place of retreat”. Nothing goes hand in hand with puritan design like desires and dreams.
