Like nearly all well-known architecture, the inspiration for this tower of scaffolding-turned-home came from the lyrics to the Nas hit, "The World is Yours," which, to wacky French architect Stéphane Malka at least, represented resistance against "the laws of the marketplace and the commodification of construction." Armed with this spirit of rebellion, Malka created the Bow-House, which sits smack in the middle of a public plaza in Heerlen, the Netherlands, and offers free shelter for anyone who wishes to climb through one of its many doors into the rickety, wallless framework.
Tucked tightly against a graffitied brick wall, the structure is sparsely furnished with beds, makeshift sitting rooms, and one surprisingly lovely little dining room. "Literally, what's outside is ours to share," says the architect. "Bow-House is a flexible system, not a mobile house but a light and static, zero cost housing for nomadic people."
· Stéphane Malka wraps blank wall with nomadic bow-house in dutch plaza [Design Boom]
· Stéphane Malka [Official site]
· All Stéphane Malka coverage [Curbed National]