A House Made Of Cylinders Sits Among The Trees

If you were ever curious to see some of the works of the town.and.concrete architecture studio then you probably know how inventive they are with their designs. One of their creations is a concept for a house made of cylinders. It’s definitely an out-of-the-box idea but then again that’s what the studio does best. All their projects are unique. The buildings they design are out of this world and stand out in a dramatic way without being opulent. It’s the concepts at the base of the designs that are highly interesting and that makes this house unique and special at the core.

This is an entire house made of this sort of cylinders. It's still in the concept stage
This is an entire house made of this sort of cylinders. It’s still in the concept stage
The cylinders have solid bases and tops and their central sections are transparent and made of glass
The cylinders have solid bases and tops and their central sections are transparent and made of glass

The Cylinder House was designed to fit between the trees of a wooden site near Lyon in France. Its 270 square meter interior is all a huge open space with no structural delimitations between the spaces. In fact, the interior is very flexible and can be reconfigured at any time. It’s the furniture that marks a space and gives it a function. By repositioning the furniture a space can be shifted or can gain a whole new function.

The height of the cylinders differs but they're all aligned to form a seamless floor level and ceiling height
The height of the cylinders differs but they’re all aligned to form a seamless floor level and ceiling height
The idea behind this design was to create a house that fits between the trees and has a flexible and modular structure
The idea behind this design was to create a house that fits between the trees and has a flexible and modular structure

The entire house is made of juxtaposed cylinders. They’re either open, closed or semi-closed and they have various heights. They serve as posts for the building  and they form a freeform floor plan. There are no hallways or corridors inside the house and since it’s made of individual pieces squeezed together, expanding it is rather easy.

Expanding the house is as easy as adding a few more cylinders to the already existing ones
Expanding the house is as easy as adding a few more cylinders to the already existing ones
Because all the exterior cylinders are partially made of glass, the lines between indoor and outdoor is blurred
Because all the exterior cylinders are partially made of glass, the lines between indoor and outdoor is blurred

What’s also interesting is that the house has no windows per se. Most of the cylinders that make up the frame and outer walls are mostly made of glass. They ensure a seamless connection with the outdoors and blur the boundaries between the site and the interior living spaces.

There's no defined layout and floor plan. It's the furniture and accessories that mark the functions
There’s no defined layout and floor plan. It’s the furniture and accessories that mark the functions
The interior can be easily reconfigured by rearranging the furniture with no structural modifications needed
The interior can be easily reconfigured by rearranging the furniture with no structural modifications needed

Since nothing inside the house is fixed, the layout and the space adapts to the lives of the inhabitants and evolves with them. Despite the lack of familiar boundaries and elements, this actually feels a lot like a home. It’s inviting, beautiful and also pretty exciting.

The interior has a sculptural and unusual structure, being defined by lots of curves
The interior has a sculptural and unusual structure, being defined by lots of curves
All the spaces are linked to their surroundings as well as to the other interior areas
All the spaces are linked to their surroundings as well as to the other interior areas