founded and curated by kenya hara, ?house vision? is a multidisciplinary innovation platform in which architects and companies work together to use the ?house? as a medium for reflecting on the future direction of our lifestyles and living environments. this year?s ?house vision?, the exhibition?s third iteration and first in china, features contributions from MAD architects, MUJI + go hasegawa, and MINI living + penda. another of the invited architecture firms was OPEN, who has designed a minimal housing prototype titled ?MARS case?.

the structure imagines a scenario where humanity is forced to settle on mars
image by wu qingshan (also main image)
 
 
?MARS case?, which OPEN architecture developed in collaboration with chinese electronics company xiaomi, has been designed to challenge existing ideas of living space, while proposing new possibilities for the future. ?two hundred years ago, henry david thoreau withdrew from society and moved to walden alone to reflect upon the nature of simple living,? says the design team. ?today, in an era of environmental crises and seemingly endless material consumption, we must ask ourselves ? what are our essential needs"?
the scheme is contained within a lightweight 2.4 x 2.4 x 2 meter module
image by wu qingshan
 
 
the design imagines that humanity is forced to settle on mars, where there is no choice but to reduce the excessive consumption of our ?earth? lifestyles. in this scenario, only essential items can be held on...