Mima House. Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Designed by Mima Architects, the Mima House started from the intention of planning a dwelling that responds directly to the lifestyle of our society.
Large windows on each elevation have wooden frames and hinge open as doors.
With customised plywood panels, which are provided separately to transform the windows into walls and to create privacy when necessary.
The Mima House construction was inspired by the traditional Japanese residential post-and-beam construction, which could be considered an inherent system of pre-fabrication. The regularised column spacing known as the ken and the infill elements such as shoji screens, fusuma panels and tatami mats, prefabricated by individual craftsmen in different locations of Japan were designed for precise assembly, like pieces of a puzzle.
Allowing the architecture of the Mima House to respond and adapt quickly to the life changes and ambitions from within.
The Mima House has a modular structure and can be divided into rooms with a grid of removable partitions.
The use of prefabricated construction methods, ensure quick production and low costs.
MIMA consists of a square post-and- beam structure completely glazed on all sides, subdivided by modular 1,5mx3m wooden frames.
MIMA houses come with additional plywood panels which can be placed on the inside and the outside of the building, for a replacement of any window by a wall in a matter of seconds. The inside is defined by a regular grid of 1,5m, whose intermediate lines leave gaps for internal walls to be added when needed.
In a matter of seconds, a subdivided space can be replaced by an open space or vice versa.
Each side of internal and external walls can have a different color/finishing, which can allow a dramatic change through simple wall rotation.
Despite its standardised construction methods, MIMA houses can be customised in so many ways, that you will rarely see two identical houses.
MIMA houses can be tested and customised any time at http://www.mimahousing.pt.
The 3D software developed by MIMA’s architects and software engineers allows a recognition of your land through Google Earth and generates an automatic 3D model for a realistic perception of the house and site.
This software allows for walking inside the house and defining the architectural finishes, external walls, internal divisions, materials and colors.
QUICK FACTS:
CONSTRUCTION: June 2011
COST: A 36 sq.m. prefabricated house in Portugal costs about the same price to manufacture as a a mid-range family car.
CREDIT: Photographs by José Campos
