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Retractable Shutters and Birch Plywood in a Compact Urban Café

Authors:
Claire Gaspin, David Emmons
Retractable Shutters and Birch Plywood in a Compact Urban Café

Project in-detail

With its retractable shutters and carefully selected birch plywood, the compact urban café redefines convenience and functionality, offering a welcoming space for both quick visits and leisurely social interaction.
5 key facts about this project
01
The kiosk integrates solar panels to enhance energy efficiency.
02
Individual charging booths provide privacy and utility in a compact setting.
03
Retractable shutters adapt the space based on weather and foot traffic.
04
Birch plywood construction offers durability while maintaining a lightweight design.
05
The cube form encourages interaction from multiple directions in the urban space.

The Tiny Coffee House serves as an interactive piece of urban furniture designed to connect with its surroundings while offering essential amenities for urban residents. It prioritizes human scale and functionality, featuring a three-level layout that accommodates seating, a coffee bar, and individual charging booths. Positioned within a busy urban environment, it caters to both quick visitors and those looking for a place to relax.

Cube Form and Dynamic Access

The kiosk has a cube shape with four faces that allow for dynamic shutters, making it accessible from multiple directions. This design creates a sense of openness, letting people interact with the space as they move through it. The shutters can open and close, adapting to weather conditions and the flow of people, fostering both a welcoming atmosphere and functional shelter.

Lighting Strategy

Lighting is an important part of the design. At night, the retractable shutters expose LED lights that highlight the lines of the paneling. This feature not only enhances visibility but also provides a warm invitation to passersby in the evening, adding to the overall experience of the space.

Technological Integration and Sustainability

Individual charging booths offer both privacy and utility. These booths resemble confessional spaces, providing partitions that create a sense of separation. They can also unfold into benches with shaded canopies, addressing the need for charging electronic devices in social environments. The roof includes solar panels, which support energy efficiency by relying on renewable resources, highlighting a commitment to environmental awareness in urban settings.

Materiality and Structure

Birch plywood is a primary material used in the construction of the kiosk. It is lightweight yet durable, and its waterproofed nature ensures resilience against the elements. Aluminum components complement the overall design and maintain structural strength. Each material choice pieces together a cohesive look while enhancing practical performance.

The retractable shutters enhance interaction with users, allowing the structure to change its appearance and function throughout the day. The design encourages engagement with the urban environment, fostering a sense of community and usability.

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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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Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2025
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MICROHOME
100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10
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