'pile up' house concept by hans zwimpfer

swiss architect hans zwimpfer has patented his building design ‘pile up’ in europe and the united states. while most buildings don’t qualify for patent status, ‘pile up’ is more of a building system than an object. the concept takes the comfort and experience of a residential home and merges it with the density of urban living by piling homes together. the idea is essentially like the game ‘tetris’, stacking bricks together into a compact form. each home is two has a part that touches the ground, providing access to outdoor space. the rest of the home is tacked in between others and features an open concept with plenty of windows and balconies. the interiors are kept open and without load-bearing walls to allow residents to customize their space to their needs over time. the idea is said to cost about the same as a standard apartment building and projects are already underway in europe and africa.

http://www.zwimpferpartner.ch

‘housing stack’ at the new york times