The project by Silesian University of Technology architecture students Szymon Aleksiuk, Jakub Łukasik and Adam Stalica was the only one from Poland to make it to the Top 50 list of the international „Tiny House Competition 2022” organized by the Volume Zero platform. The „Backpack” concept, made under the direction of PhD. Jerzy Wojewódka, is a house, with a lightweight structure made of carbon fiber tubes, which can be easily transported and assembled in any location.
The lodge can be built in any location, such as a forest
© Szymon Aleksiuk, Jakub Łukasik, Adam Stalica
The challenge of the competition was to design a small, comfortable home for two people. The organizers wanted both the concept and design to be creative, innovative and made with sustainability in mind. Participants were asked to think carefully about their proposals and pay attention to the relationship between the external environment and the internal space. The area of the bungalow should not exceed twenty-seven square meters, and an additional plus was the possibility of transporting it, for example, with a car or pickup truck in tow. It is mandatory that the design should include such rooms as a living area, a toilet, a sleeping area for two, a studio, a kitchen and a recreation area.
"Backpack" design, ideogram of submission
© Szymon Aleksiuk, Jakub Łukasik, Adam Stalica
Polish students' project in the Top 50!
Participants from more than a hundred countries submitted diverse ideas, which were evaluated by a panel of international experts. The jury consisted of: Sangeeta Merchant (Spasm Design Architects), Sanjeev Panjabi (Spasm Design Architects), Widhi Nugroho (Studio Wna), Todd Saunders (Saunders Architecture), Tiago Rebelo De Andrade (Rebelo Andrade), Nguyen Hoang Manh (Mia Design Studio), Marco Lavit (Atelier Lavit), Luis Rebelo De And rade (Rebelo Andrade), Dipen Gada (Dg Associates), Jun Sekino (Junsekino Architect And Design), Hardik Shah (Studio Lagom), Demetri Lampris (So-il), Craig Steely (Craig Steely Architecture).
The jury awarded three main prizes and a student prize. First Prize went to a team from Iran consisting of: Mohammad Saeed Maaleki and Amir Mohammad Hassani. Second Prize was awarded to Ooi Yong Rong from Malaysia, and Third Prize to a team from Botswana consisting of Omaatla Charlesfinney Moilwa and Gwafila Leon Tema. The Best Student Project Award went to a team from Sweden consisting of Zhaoheng Wang and Jiale Huang.
Project authors, from left: Adam Stalica, Szymon Aleksiuk, Jakub Łukasik
© Szymon Aleksiuk, Jakub Łukasik, Adam Stalica
The jury also awarded ten honorable mentions and announced the Top 50 list of the "Tiny House Competition 2022". On it, as the only one from Poland, was the „Backpack” project by students of the Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology —Szymon Aleksiuk, Jakub Łukasik and Adam Stalica. Appreciated by the jury, the concept was made under the direction of PhD. Jerzy Wojewódka prof. of the Silesian University of Technology.
house like a backpack
Our „Backpack” project is designed for people who like spontaneous travel and don't want to worry about accommodation. The inspiration for the project, as the name suggests, was a backpack, which was created to carry the most necessary things more easily. It is very versatile, with many people using the same backpack for school, workouts or even vacations, so you can take it everywhere with you, the authors say.
"Backpack", construction and technical drawings
© Szymon Aleksiuk, Jakub Łukasik, Adam Stalica
Starting from such a traveling concept, the students assumed that they would create a small house that would be easy to transport, as well as very simple to assemble and move to another place. The entire structure was designed from repetitive elements, which helps when assembling and allows for variations in the shape or positioning of the interior.
carbon fiber tube construction
The main material used by the designers is ETFE film and carbon fiber tubes. The tubes are all the same length, and when folded they form a frame for the foil, making the house lightweight, durable and hassle-free to assemble, according to the authors. When assembled, the area of the house is twenty-five square meters.
The authors also proposed a location on a rocky cliff
© Szymon Aleksiuk, Jakub Łukasik, Adam Stalica
„Backpack” can be built in any location, and the authors gave forest, urban environment (roof / terrace of the building) and rocky cliff as examples. The house can also be connected to existing elements, such as lookout towers or other buildings. For the interior design, the students suggested camping furniture, which can also be easily assembled and transported.
The topic of micro houses is often discussed in international competitions. In January this year, students of the Warsaw University of Technology: Alicja Adela Jarochowska and Aleksandra Musial with their Grounded House project won as many as two awards in the MICROHOME #5 competition of the Buildner platform. Also read about the Bridge Town project —a city on a bridge by Piotr Gajdka, Zuzanna Boberek and Alicja Krzeminska. Their work made it to the Top 50 list of „The Micro Housing 2022” competition organized by Impact Competition.
