The purpose of this study wass to assess the interior design solutions of residential microflats built in large European cities in countries from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). A sample consisting of thirty representative microflats with a floor area below 35 m2 was selected for the study. The flats were intended for either permanent or temporary occupancy and were built over the past fifteen years. The research field covered several large European cities, where demand for such units is high. Comparative analyses of different microflat interior design models were performed. The objective of the study was to determine which contemporary microflat interior design solutions (such as space layout, furniture layout, and design, color, and material design) are optimal and the most commonly used. Sets of design solutions applied in microflats were collected and documented. The study used a range of research methods, including a review of the literature, websites, field research, and comparative analysis. The set of presented interior design solutions and the conclusions drawn from the analyses can be useful to architects and interior designers who design microflats and residential units with greater floor areas, or flats where effective use of floor area is crucial (e.g., student housing). It is also worth mentioning that the existing literature on microflats focuses primarily on the United States and Australia and not Europe, and discusses the economics and ecology of inhabiting microflats.
Abstract. Permanent technological development leads to the search for the most utilitarian material and structural solutions in architecture. During recent decades, a large number of bioinspired materials applicable in engineering and medicine have been invented. However, nature remains the perfect creator of multifunctional structures. The main question concerns the possibility of implementing technological solutions that would enable a literal moving of the building. The assumption of responsive architecture is the ability to react to the user's actions and external environmental stimulation. Nowadays, electronic systems that enable integral control of individual building installations in order to minimize energy losses (e.g. BMS) are commonly available. In kinetic and responsive architecture the CABS system is often used to control the façade. This paper focuses on the etymology of responsive architecture and outlines the directions of its application in the innovative technological solutions in architecture.
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