The Rucksack House: An Add-on Structure for Apartments
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When you live in the city, you’re likely to have a tiny apartment. Even people who can afford to have a larger apartment in a big city are likely to say they could use some extra space. But coming across extra space is difficult. When you live in a building, you can’t just “expand” or build out when you want to add some extra space. The only thing you can do is buy the apartment above, below, or beside you, which can get pricey.Leave it to the Europeans to come up with an innovative solution to our space-seeking needs. Stefan Eberstadt from Germany created the Rucksack House. The name is a perfect description for what it does: it is pretty much a backpack for your apartment.
The Rucksack House is meant to be a type of add-on to apartments. If your apartment is on the side of a building, you could technically have the structure. Steel cables attached to your roof essentially hold up the room next to your apartment. It’s difficult to imagine because it’s something we’ve never seen before. The pictures almost look like the Rucksack House is unstable, like it would move around if you were to jump up and down in it.
But the Rucksack House is actually stable. You can attach it several floors up, as long as the cables have a way of attaching to the roof.The modernity of the Rucksack House makes it a fun and interesting space to occupy. There are many square and rectangular glass windows, some even allowing you to look down to the street below. It lets in plenty of light, which is something many city-dwellers need. There’s also the pull-down sections of the room, where one could place a desk, a bed, and a shelving unit. This contributes to the space-enhancing qualities of the Rucksack House, as you could easily make all the furniture disappear for cocktail parties or other events.
I can foresee a few problems with the Rucksack House, though. During storms, it is doubtful the structure would be safe to occupy. Neighbors may also get angry about it, since it may block sunlight to their units or the cables will block their views.
Despite its downsides, the Rucksack House is innovative and may help us change how we utilize our space.
