An architecture experiment using data collected from 2 million people has resulted in the creation of Sweden's most "statistically desirable" home.
The Hemnet Home, or "the House of Clicks", was designed based upon 200 million clicks on 86,000 properties on Sweden's most popular property site, Hemnet Home. In total, more than 20 percent of the country's population have contributed to the list of requirements for the house's design, which has been interpreted by architects Tham & Videgård.
The architects worked with a set of data and a set of philosophies to devise the design. First was the Big Data gathered from every Hamnet user, which was used to work out the average size, price, number of rooms, bathrooms and floors of the ideal Swedish abode. The architects then combined the two most prominent ideas about what the Swedish house should be: the wooden red cottage and the white functionalist box. All of this resulted in a red functionalist box, built using traditional craftsmanship and materials.
On the data side, the architects were left were a range of statistics to work with, including 1.5 floors. They interpreted this by using half of the upper level for a bedroom, and using the other half to incorporate a double-height dining area and an upstairs terrace. The terrace offers privacy and is protected from the wind, while still offering a sunny spot to sit, even in dense areas where there may not be room for a garden. On the whole, the house is filled with light -- thanks in part to double-height kitchen window.
While the outside might look like it has been built from the same materials as a shipping container, it is in fact crafted from wood, inset with wave that enhance the depth of the building and create a shadow effect. It has been painted in the same red hue as traditional Swedish Faku cottages. "The result is a combination of the two types of buildings. A new standardised house within reach of most people. A simple, cost- and energy-efficient design that is easy to build and customize. But also a beautiful building with generous natural light and a feeling of space throughout the house," say architects Bolle Tham and Martin Videgård.
Discussions are now underway to turn the Hemnet Home into a real house that can be purchased by anyone with a big enough plot of land. Prices start at 2,775,000SEK (£212,940).
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
