Page 130 - AIT0320_E-Paper

WOHNEN • LIVING TECHNISCHER AUSBAU • TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS

Ein multifunktionales Möbel verbirgt die Minibar. • A multifunction piece of furniture conceals the minibar.

Die Küche kann jederzeit vollständig verschwinden. • The kitchen can disappear completely at any time. Bei Bedarf kommt ein hochwertiges Spülbecken zum Vorschein. • Whenever needed, a high-quality sink appears.

M ichael K. Chen Architecture (MKCA) has developed a micro-housing concept of the sofa demounts to become the headboard of the bed, surrounded by Häfele ’s in-
tegrated LED lighting, which is unobtrusive but highly functional at the same time. Op-
for Häfele, the leading manufacturer of architectural and furniture, lighting
and hardware. Designed to take advantage of Häfele ’s comprehensive product line posite the sofa and bed, a reworked entertainment center made of wood (in contrast
in both conventional and speculative ways and to position the brand as a resource to the lacquer and solid surfacing elsewhere in the unit) incorporates a concealed te-
for emerging models of living, the project was unveiled at Kitchen and Bath Industry levision on a motorized lift, a pull-out console that unfolds to create a dining table for
Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas, Nevada in January and subsequently installed in the Hä- six, and a secret motorized bar that lifts above the table.
fele Manhattan showroom. Drawing upon the firm’s extensive experience developing
highly customized, multi-state, multi-functional living spaces, MKCA has designed Clever multiple-usages are the basis of the design
the project to tell a story about new possibilities for urban living.
Each element of the entertainment zone can be operated individually, or in con-
Changing life circumstances demand corresponding solutions junction with one or both of the other elements. Dinner can be a formal seated affair,
or can take the shape of drinks and bites in front of the TV. This offers exciting op-
In an age where people are staying single longer and having children later, and increa- portunities for the residents as well as invited guests. The peninsula to the left of the
singly competing for limited housing stock in our densest urban areas, there is an un- bed extends to reveal a compact kitchen with integrated appliances by Fisher and
deniable cultural shift toward smaller, more flexible ways to live. This is definitely a Paykel, and an intimate dining space that also functions as an additional countertop.
major change which has come about in practically all the large cities in the world. By A retractable faucet pops out of the integral Corian sink, and is stowed when the kit-
strategizing around scenarios—how uses and activities unfold over the course of a day chen is closed again. Pull-out and swiveling storage elements at the end open to re-
and evening—MKCA has devised simple motions to transition between and negotiate veal backlit glass and aluminum shelves. An integrated backsplash shelf incorpora-
all of the functions we expect from our homes, transforming how a small space can tes hidden task lighting. In a small space, the presence of the kitchen can overwhelm
work and feel like a much larger one. As configured, the installation anticipates a the entire visual landscape. MKCA’s aim here was to create a highly functional space
boundary of approximately 3,5x5 meters. The apartment is centered around a custom for preparing a meal, but allow it to be fully concealed. Once opened and fully acti-
sofa that folds flat, allowing for a queen-size bed to be opened from behind. The back vated, the kitchen is an illuminated work zone; but for a meal for two, the functional

130 • AIT 3.2020