Celebrated Italian architect Renzo Piano, of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) designed a tiny cabin on the Vitra Campus called Diogene. The architect has been obsessing over minimalist housing since he was a student and creating such spaces is a study in “self-moderation,” not a way to pinch pennies. So, the two by two by two meters (6’6″ x 6’6″) living space was born, which is just enough space for a bed, a chair, and a small table. This certainly fits the bill for our backyard offices trend.
Roughly ten years ago, Piano began hashing out his minimalist housing ideas and worked through various prototypes along the way. It wasn’t until 2009, when his final version “Diogene” was published, that Rolf Fehlbaum, chairmain of the Vitra AG, took notice. It took three years of development to create a new prototype, the one that sits on the hill between the VitraHaus and the Dome on the Vitra Campus. While it’s not a finished project, it’s an experimental arrangement to test the waters of its potential.
The structure is very much built as a retreat and one that could function in various climates. It supplies its own power with photovoltaic cells and solar modules, and the needed water is collected in a rainwater tank, and cleaned and reused.
The house is meant to provide you with what you need and nothing more, and that’s just what it does. The front space is the living room with a pullout sofa on one side and a folding table on the other underneath the window. Behind the partition is a shower and a toilet, along with a kitchen.
Photos by Julien Lanoo, © Vitra.

3 Comments
April Louise on 07.10.2013 at 14:22 PM
I really like the simplicity of this design and the ideas behind it.
Elizabeth Bull on 08.01.2013 at 10:11 AM
I am very much interested in the ‘Diogene’ cabin and I would like to know more. I am thinking of putting it up in the tropics and if it is satisfactory I would to set up a few as an informal hotel. Would the prototype need modification as it might be too hot in temperatures of 25 degrees C?
Thank you.
Jonathon Podolsky on 08.01.2013 at 17:38 PM
I saw this info at the end of another article, which might help you:
“Depending on the desired purpose and individual resident needs, the living unit will be available from Vitra as of 2014 in three different versions. For further information, please contact the VitraHaus sales team ([email protected], +49 (0)7621 702 3502)”. I suppose you could also check the architect’s website: http://www.rpbw.com/
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