In many European cities, there are truly unique buildings. The most spectacular ones are almost always notable for their large size, while the smaller ones go completely unnoticed. There are various reasons for building a very small home, and they aren’t always financial or related to optimizing space; in many cases, these are designer homes that aim to create a more practical living environment.
Here are five of the narrowest houses in Europe
Spain
This house is located at number 6 Plaza de Lope de Vega, Valencia, and is only 107 centimeters wide. This is according to the Guinness Book of World Records, which has recognized it as the narrowest house in Europe. The building is currently used as rental apartments. It has five floors, with one apartment on each floor, and it also houses a small museum.
It was renovated a few years ago, and although it was integrated into the adjacent building, you can still see how narrow it is. The owner decided to paint it red, replace its windows with new, more eye-catching ones, and put up a sign indicating its small size, making it stand out more, since it’s built between two much wider buildings that tend to hide it.
The renovation carried out by the owner not only gave the building a new, neat, and more attractive appearance, but also included repairs to the building’s columns, floor slabs, and structural elements.
Its width of just under one meter is not due to a desire to attract attention or to draw in tourists, but rather to minimize the amount of taxes paid, since taxes were calculated based on square meters.
Poland
In Warsaw, a house made of aluminum and plastic has been designed in a narrow alley width ranging from 1.5 meters to 0.90. It is a project by Polish architect Jakub Szczesny, who came up with the idea when he noticed the unused space between two buildings. The house has a floor area of 14 square meters, divided into a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom, and is offered to artists and writers seeking a creative space in the Polish capital.
Netherlands
At number 26 on Kloveniersburgwal in Amsterdam, there is a house called «Mr. Trip’s Coachman’s House» («Kleine Trippenhuis») that is only 2, 44 meters wide which was built by Lodewijk and Hendrick Trip in 1660. An interesting fact is that it stands across from the widest house in Amsterdam, which is 22 meters wide.
At number 22 Oude Hoodstraat, there is another house at 2.02 meters wide which is the narrowest street in Amsterdam. It features the typical bell-shaped cornice typical of local architecture, and the house extends six meters into the block.
England, United Kingdom
Sliver House is a four-story house located in Maida Vale, in west London. It has fewer than 3 meters wide, which widen toward the back, and a depth of 11 m. The design aimed to bring in as much light as possible without ever compromising privacy. For this reason, the main facade is made of translucent glass. The architects responsible for this project were Boyarsky Murphy Arquitectos.
