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Elevated Living Pods within Historical Railway Infrastructure

Author:
Eron Kumar
Elevated Living Pods within Historical Railway Infrastructure

Project in-detail

Suspended living Pods integrated into the historic La Petite Ceinture railway offer a modern communal housing solution that revitalizes urban infrastructure while addressing the needs of short-term residents in Paris.
5 key facts about this project
01
Community-focused design integrates individual Pods around shared amenities.
02
Vertical circulation facilitates easy access to elevated living spaces.
03
Uses the existing structure of the abandoned La Petite Ceinture railway.
04
Promotes sustainable living by optimizing underutilized urban infrastructure.
05
Encourages engagement with historical context while addressing modern housing needs.

The Towers of the Little Belt project is located in Paris, making use of La Petite Ceinture, an old railway that forms a loop around the city. The design aims to integrate housing into this forgotten infrastructure, providing a modern solution to urban living while respecting the historical context. The project uses an aqueduct typology, which allows for creative combinations of public and private spaces.

Concept and Adaptation

This approach focuses on adaptive reuse, taking the existing railway and transforming it into a livable area that connects people with its history. Vertical circulation plays a crucial role in the design, enabling residents and visitors to access elevated communal spaces. This feature encourages interaction while organizing private living areas.

Community-Centric Living

Individual living Pods serve short-term occupants and are arranged around shared facilities like kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms. This setup supports communal living and helps balance the needs of tourists with those of local residents. By sharing common areas, occupants can foster a sense of community, making the living experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Integration with Public Space

The design thoughtfully considers how private residences coexist with public space, aiming to breathe new life into the surrounding area. By improving access to La Petite Ceinture, there is an invitation for the public to engage with the railway and its environment. This approach merges the past and the present, offering useful housing options within a cultural framework.

The design features suspended living Pods that connect with the old railway structure, emphasizing the relationship between new housing and historical infrastructure while creating a lively atmosphere.

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MICROHOME 10: Celebrating Small-Scale Living with €100,000 Prize Fund and Kingspan’s Innovation

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Competition organisers

The MICROHOME 10 competition invites participants to submit visionary designs for off-grid, modular microhomes that push the limits of sustainable, small-scale living. Organised by Buildner in partnership with Kingspan and Hapi Homes, this tenth edition sets the challenge of designing a dwelling for two people within a maximum floor area of 25 m², encouraging bold solutions adaptable to any urban or rural location. The competition continues Buildner’s mission to foster innovative approaches to compact, energy-efficient housing that can address pressing global challenges.

This year’s edition offers a generous total prize fund of €100,000, including the Kingspan Award for designs that integrate high-performance Kingspan products and the Hapi Homes Award for a project selected for real-world construction. In addition to cash prizes, the winners gain international exposure through Buildner’s media partnerships, publications, and a dedicated MICROHOME magazine, further amplifying their ideas to the wider architectural community.

Key dates for MICROHOME 10 include the closing date for registration on 25 September 2025, the submission deadline on 29 October 2025 (11:59 p.m. London time), and the announcement of winners on 9 December 2025. These milestones ensure participants have clear timelines to develop and present their concepts, with early registration discounts available to support students and emerging designers worldwide.

MICROHOME

Design a new small-scale home concept in the 10th edition of MICROHOME — 100,000 € prize + construction

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 € + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 25 September 2025

Enter an open architecture
competition now

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