If there is one company for which the mantra “creative use of space” rings true, it is MINI.
The compact car manufacturer has been designing with this motto in mind for almost half a century, and it is now aiming to bring its famous brand of pocket-sized ingenuity to the realm of architecture and interior design. Debuting at the Salone del Mobile 2016 in Milan, the MINI LIVING concept is a 30-square-meter apartment with a plethora of features that epitomize the company’s creative use of space.
At the project’s unveiling, Esther Bahne — Head of Brand Strategy and Business Innovation at MINI — explained that the project seeks to address the unique contemporary challenges of urban living by looking to the earliest roots of the brand: “The first car MINI produced in 1959 was about creative use of space and that’s actually what we still refer to today. We think the same solutions used then can help now with housing and with living.”
The transformable walls of the MINI LIVING Installation
Designed in collaboration with Japanese architecture firm ON Design and engineers from ARUP, MINI LIVING sets out to redefine the micro unit typology. The apartment — part of a proposed “micro-neighborhood” of compact urban dwellings — is defined by a series of transformable walls, each comprising fold-out shelves that perform a wide array of functions. These include a fully integrated kitchen unit, a workbench and a music system, designed to slide or fold away with minimum fuss.
MINI LIVING TEAM, London
Architects ON Design of MINI LIVING, Yokohama
© GEORG ROSKE
Engineering Team Arup of MINI LIVING, Berlin
This system allows for endless programmatic variations within the space, making this form of apartment ideal for shared living. According to MINI, each reconfiguration can provide “a backdrop for all sorts of spontaneous activities and unique experiences. Folding out the kitchenette and a music system for example creates the perfect set up for a spur-of-the-moment kitchen party. MINI LIVING turnings ‘sharing’ into an adventure in its own right.”
Dining space within the MINI LIVING Installation
The key here is choice: inhabitants are able to adjust the apartment to be as private or as public as they wish, utilizing the flexible wall system to fit their personal preferences. However, the goal is to make the idea of shared living as appealing as possible. “Cities become liveable when you can connect and share,” explained Sam Jacob, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture. “This is when you really start to care about your community.”
MINI’s immersive installation is now accessible to the public for Salone del Mobile at 18 Via Vigevano, Milan, Italy and remains open until April 17 this year.
All images courtesy of MINI