2,5³ - Minimal Living Cube by Chmara.Rosinke
  The Exceptional

2,5³ is a minimal living cube designed by Vienna-based studio Chmara.Rosinke. The studio frequently embraces a DIY aesthetic while exploring socio-cultural elements, utility, and the notion of public versus private settings.  According to the designers, the original inspiration for 2,5³ "comes from the 1960s and 1970s, when many architects and designers were concerned with the idea of modular and mobile living structures and wanted to revolutionize social canons. A negation of consumerism and the idea of contemporary nomadism has led, over time, to various visionary concepts, like the modular micro-houses of Ken Isaacs, Joe Colombo's multifunctional 'total furnishing unit,' or the 'living cube' concept from Papanek and Hennessey. Since our studies, we've been fascinated by minimal living spaces and minimal forms of housing. Besides that, this project was led by our fascination with special, complex, and specific forms or even archetypes of furniture with varying scales."

They go on: "We designed this 2.5m x 2.5m x 2.5m intimate, nomadic living space as a reinterpretation of the 'living cube' by Papanek and Hennessey. The main difference [between ours and] the original 1970s concept is that Papanek and Hennessey designed several cubes for particular functions, like a relaxation or a working cube." Considering today's digitally driven world—a world in which the web, smartphones and the like have changed our way of life—the designers determined less space was needed for their contemporary interpretation. "Another important aspect of our project," Chmara.Rosinke notes, "is the cult of less movement. People who are counting their belongings and try to get under 500 and later under 100. Belongings seem to have developed in metropolitan and contemporary culture to a form of ballast—and no longer a way of showing wealth, status, and success in life. We want to move, to travel, to take new jobs, be more independent. So we have also to minimize our belongings and habits. Out of this, we have designed the multifunctional cube. It consists of a desk that can be changed to a kitchen with two induction cooking plates, a sink, a rolling cupboard that can be unfolded to an eating table for two persons, a bed, a big cupboard for clothes, a mirror… and a drawer. A special chair is designed for the height of the kitchen /desk, and by folding them, you can climb on top of the cube to have a different view and read a book. The whole cube can be enclosed with textiles to protect one's intimate space. The nomadic structure can be installed in about one hour."