Czech practice A1 Architects presented models and concepts exploring the potential for living in small spaces at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague last month.

Called The Small House, the exhibition included 1:25 scale models of their ideas, arranged on tables around a 1:1 installation of one concept.

The show was part of Czech design festival Designblok 09.

Here's some more information from the architects:

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About exhibition „The Small House“ by A1 Architects

“Small Houses“ are the result of A1 Architects internal workshop, within which each of them designed several authentic houses.

We decided to explore the theme of limitless living in a limited space, all the ideas are presented by models in scale 1:25 and there is also one model in scale 1:1.

The main drive came from the ambition of finding and designing houses, which even though conventionally classed as small, hide inside a specific form of bigness.

We look for houses with a large content in a small package, houses with internal poetry.

All concepts were purposefully conceived independently of context and of the residents themselves.

Even so, in all of us remained the will to design buildable houses.

We wanted to avoid the unachievable utopian dreams of architects.

We did however realize that we subconsciously translate childhood memories into projects such as the joy of sitting in a tree or a moment of triumph after building a bunker in the back garden.

‘Small’ for us does not mean uncomfortable, inadequate and especially not minimal.

It means more inviting, human and cozy.

Size is not fate, size is choice.

Studio A1 Architects

The first projects by A1 Architects date back to 2003. In 2005 Jakub Filip Novák joined the already well functioning duo Lenka Køemenová and David Maštálka, A1 Architects as a creative workshop is beginning to form in Prague comprised of classmates from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (AAAD). In 2006 Marta Maštálková, an expert in the field of graphical design, joins the group of architects.

7th – 27th of October 2009
Gallery of Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (AAAD), Prague
Jana Palacha square 80, Prague 1, Czech Republic