Minimalism has gotten a bad rap. Once a novel design philosophy, it’s become a cliche of white walls and concrete accents.
Good thing the drop-dead gorgeous Lighthouse Office, a “micro-building” from Los Angeles design/build studio Knowhow Shop, is here to single-handedly save the concept — and give new meaning to the term “corner office” while it does.
The name “Lighthouse” was chosen for both the lightweight construction and the welcoming day-to-night lighting elements. The structure is built from “prefabricated panels that are assembled on site,” taking up 154 square feet, and is light enough to sit on “industrial casters originally designed to support roll-off dumpsters,” according to the project brief. In other words, this puppy’s mobile.
The polygonal exterior leads to an interior M.C. Escher would be proud of. First off, there’s the front door that swings open despite using no right angles. It provides natural light along with a side window and custom skylight, which takes after a car’s sunroof. At night, these panels become beacons, calling to mind Lighthouse’s cliffside counterparts.
“We absolutely intend to build more of these for clients,” Kagan Taylor and Justin Rice, the duo behind Knowhow Shop, told Fast Company. “Within that language, there is room for a lot of different permutations.”
This particular permutation cost an estimated $50,000, a price that should be considered in the scope of the project. A traditional contractor wouldn’t be able to oversee this design, so Taylor and Rice “bypassed the normal methods of architectural production, and relied on the most experimental potential of our design/build model.”
If your office could use a little more expermination, don’t hesitate to consult Knowhow.
All photos by Stephen Schauer, courtesy of Knowhow Shop
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