glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihoda
image courtesy of jiri prihoda

 

 

 

designboom is just back from prague where we were in town for designblok 2013, an annual week long event which showcases the work of local and international creatives from the a range of disciplines: architecture, design, jewelry, fashion etc.

 

presented at the superstudio venue, a reclaimed railway yard, was czech visual artist jiri prihoda‘s ‘arbor dwelling II, lampyriade (firefly)’, a two level urban dwelling made from plywood, wood, corrugated sheets, and plexi glass. the construction includes a staircase that leads to a functioning door, opening to the main space of the habitat. once inside, shelves can be found built into the side paneling, and a pull-out single bed is secretly folded into the wall opposite the entrance. adjacent to the entrance, a small table can be pulled out from the wall and can be used for writing and drawing. a small rectangular opening is cut-out from the floor, revealing a series of steps, which lead down to the dwelling’s lower level. the hemispheric shape is fitted with a plush mattress, which encourages inhabitant to lie on in comfortable curved position, while others can simultaneously walk around upstairs.

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihoda
image courtesy of jiri prihoda

 

 

the outer shell is made of corralit material, a luminescent substance, which absorbs daylight and is later translated as opalescent light that will glow-in-the-dark for approximately eight hours. at the exhibition, an assistant to the space regularly turned off the headlights above exposing the lucent blue and green form. 

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihoda
image courtesy of jiri prihoda

 

 

a significant part of the design is that the structure should hover a minimum of seven feet over ground and to be surrounded by an organic structure higher than the dwelling itself, like trees, cacti, or bamboo. in an ideal circumstance, the exterior surrounding of the dwelling should be the natural forest or a large garden, where it would have the minimum amount of contact with urban civilization as possible.

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihodaimage courtesy of jiri prihoda

 

 

according to the lampyriade’s geographical placement and climate, the construction core can be thermo-insulated, while the open side panels can be glassed-in with double thermo-insulated plexiglass. in areas with tropical climates, the unclosed sides may remain open with simple protective screens, which would be strong enough to protect against falls.

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihodaimage courtesy of jiri prihoda

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihodaimage courtesy of jiri prihoda

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihodaimage courtesy of jiri prihoda

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihodaimage courtesy of jiri prihoda

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihodaimage courtesy of jiri prihoda

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihodaimage courtesy of jiri prihoda

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihoda
image © designboom

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihoda
image © designboom

glow-in-the-dark urban dwelling by jiri prihoda
image © designboom

 

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