This unusual
rotating house was designed and implemented by architect-artist duo
Alex Schweder and
Ward Shelley as part of a ‘performance architecture’ project. The residence was recently on display at the
OMI International Arts Center in Ghent, New York, where it drew attention of the worldwide media.
Named
‘Reactor’, the 44-foot by 8-foot structure rotates 360-degrees atop a
15-foot concrete column in response to its inhabitants’ movements,
exterior forces, and interior conditions, making visible the intimate
relationship between architecture and its inhabitants, as the developers
explain.
Have a look at the video below to get a general idea about what this means when put into practice:
Schweder
and Shelley lived in this structure for five days, with visitors at
Ghent gathering around to see them. This made for an unusual ‘artist in
residence’ experience, where innovative architecture played a major
part.
The rotating house features a water supply and water waste
system, as well as a versatile kitchen where all functional stations are
on panels that fold down: cooking, cleaning and two for dining.
“We
almost never stop drifting in circles. It takes only the slightest
breeze to set us in motion. It feels grand and processional. The rocking
motion, on the other hand, is mostly caused by us moving around inside.
The motions are graceful and oceanic,” Shelley wrote in the diary of
the inaugural run.
Schweder added: “A view that is always
changing, sleep that comes and goes with the sun’s light, and a sense of
connection with your roommate through knowing what he is doing and
feeling mediated by the building — in short, this building is breaking
our habits.”
The house will be on display for two years and the
duo will live inside again for short periods of time in 24-25 September
and again on 6-10 October.
