Polish architect Jakub Szczesny completed the world's narrowest house! Also known as the world's skinniest house, at only 4 feet wide, this baby in Warsaw, Poland is sure to quickly become the new nightmare for all clausterphobics (including myself... I'll never get over that time I got trapped in an elevator!).
Szczesny built the house as an art instillation for writer Etgar Keret; Keret's extremely short stories were the inspiration for the home. Thus the house has been nicknamed "The Keret House." The Keret House was built with the intention of being an artists retreat; artists will be invited to come and stay in The Keret House for week long intervals. The retreat is intended to inspire occupants by the house's unusual feeling of being restricted by surroundings. Using The Keret House as a retreat for intervals at a time is ideal because the house is not up to code to be able to be lived in full time.
Because of the increasing population and decreasing amount of living space, Szczesny says that he wants this house to be an example to people that you don't need a lot of space to live in. An admirable thought, but let's be real here, this house wouldn't even contain the contents of my closet. I would also like to be able to stretch out my arms without hitting the walls. Not that I go walking around my house with my arms out stretched all the time but, you know, I'd like to have the option.
The Keret House is 2 stories, measures 4 feet wide, 33 feet deep, 30 feet tall and sits 10 feet off the ground. Also of note, the isn't enough room for a stair case, so inhabitants must move up and down the floors by climbing up a ladder on the wall.
Below are some pictures so that you can get an idea if what it's like to be inside the world's narrowest house.
Squished in between two buildings, it resides.
A computer graphic of the floor plan.
Access to the living quarters.
The kitchen table.
Kitchen on the other side of the table with a view of the bathroom.
Keret in the bedroom area.
The bedroom with an "almost" twin sized bed.
The view from the living quarters looking down.
What do you guys think? How would you fare in the world's narrowest house? I wouldn't survive an hour!