Less is More
Curated by the Assemble Papers team, Less is More is a global survey of standout architecture and design for compact living and small spaces.
Old Yet Relentlessly Modern: Kyudōkaikan
July 12, 2018
Keith Little
Western influence in Japan has a fascinating and turbulent history. Architect Keith Little looks at how that complex relationship is embodied in Tokyo's Kyudōkaikan, one of the few buildings to survive the rapid economic growth of the twentieth century. Recent restoration of the complex was funded through an innovative business model, which reflects the temple's masterful blending of the old and the new
Big Messy Courtyard: Micro Yuan’er
April 5, 2018
Joanna Bayndrian
Joanna Bayndrian speaks with Zhang Ke of ZAO/standardarchitecture about Micro Yuan’er, a children’s library and arts centre in old Beijing. In a city that is rapidly urbanising, Micro Yuan'er has become a space for creativity and community
Share Yaraicho
March 1, 2018
Emily Wong
Crises are opportunities for rebuilding resilience. In the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake, the need to counter social isolation with close-knit communities gave the impetus to the first purpose-built share house in Japan. Emily Wong spoke to Satoko Shinohara of Spatial Design Studio about Share Yaraicho
5×4 Hayes Lane
May 19, 2017
Assemble Papers
5x4 Hayes Lane isn't the typical home you'd expect to find tucked in at the end of a narrow laneway in leafy East Melbourne. We step inside this pocket-sized project and speak to its owner, Ralph Alphonso, about his decision to stretch the project's small footprint of 20 square metres over four storeys, and about the challenges that arose during the construction of this extraordinary home
Compartment Studio
August 5, 2016
Assemble Papers
At just 36 square metres, this miniscule Darlinghurst studio was the ideal challenge for interior designer (and small footprint living enthusiast) Sarah Jamieson's first apartment project. Drawing on her background in fine arts and installation, Sarah renovated the studio – housed inside a 1929 art-deco building – with the goal of maximising space while remaining sensitive to its original form
Sawmill House
September 21, 2015
Eugenia Lim and Emily Wong
Balanced along the edge of a former gold mine quarry in Yackandandah, Victoria, Sawmill House is a poetic example of young Melbourne and Hobart-based studio Archier’s belief in open, culturally responsive design. Sawmill explores the adaptable reuse of a major by-product of the building industry – the thousands of tonnes of waste concrete that goes into landfill each year
Backyard Bungalows: Murray Barker
March 5, 2015
Ben Clement and Sarah Booth
Murray Barker's garage conversion is a nice note on which to wrap up our Backyard Bungalows series. To maximise his compact 18sqm space, he makes great use of the outdoor areas either side of it. Referencing Donovan Hill's D House, Murray has added windows and shutters that encourage interaction with the laneway and the life upon it—while still providing natural light and privacy when required
Backyard Bungalows: Alex Kennedy
February 6, 2015
Sarah Booth, Tom Ross and Emily Wong
In our third instalment of Backyard Bungalows, we take a turn through the Carlton North cabin of Alex Kennedy. The 35sqm space was once a car garage amidst the lush garden behind her mum's house, until Alex (and friends) took to it with a hammer and plastering board, and designer Sarah Trotter of Hearth Studio helped translate Alex’s ideas around recycled materials and Japanese minimalism into built form
The Barn, Hobart
January 15, 2015
Judith Abell
Nearly three years ago, local graduate architects Liz Walsh and Alex Nielsen were lucky enough to happen upon a tiny early c19 gem in near original condition on the outskirts of Hobart. Our correspondent from across the Strait, Judith Abell, caught up with Liz and Alex to find out how they went about transforming its humble meterage into a compact home and place for entertainment
Backyard Bungalows: Alice and Otis
December 4, 2014
Sarah Booth, Ben Clement and Assemble Papers
The second in our Backyard Bungalow series is a beautifully tiny abode belonging to Schoolhouse Studios’ Alice Glenn and her pint-sized sidekick Otis, which is tucked away behind her Auntie’s place in Clifton Hill. The building itself has existed for several decades, but has been coaxed into its current (very comfortable) iteration thanks to a couple of renovations over the years
Backyard Bungalows: Emilio and Anna
November 7, 2014
Sarah Booth
Welcome to the first in our new Less is More series devoted to backyard bungalows. Over the next few months we're going to peek over back fences and venture down garden paths to hunt out dwellings that do their bit for positive urban density. First up, we visit the ingenious Coburg home of Emilio Fuscaldo, of Nest Architects, and his partner Anna Krien
The Purple Rose of Cairo
September 5, 2014
Rachel Elliot-Jones and Tom Ross
The 1930s Best Overend-designed Cairo Building on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy, is an example of minimal living mastery that inaugurated our This Vertical Life column in 2012, with an article that reflected on the modernist apartment building through the eyes of former residents looking back fondly
