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Experiments in Minimal Living Space: Charlotte Perriand’s “Refuge Tonneau”

June 3, 2016 by Mariabruna Fabrizi Leave a Comment

French architect and designer Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) designed several structures for minimal living, temporary shelters aimed at housing people for short periods of time in a comfortable yet reduced environment. The most famous is a mountain refuge, called the Tonneau.

The refuge was designed in 1938, built in prefabricated aluminum components and organized around a tubular steel frame. It is a light structure which can host up to eight people in 8 sqm, that can be easily transported over the shoulders and mounted in four days. The plan is a dodecagon with a raised roofline allowingt the snow to slide off. The shelter is designed to resist to strong wind and is coated in aluminium.

The “refuge Tonneau” features integrated modular furniture, sleeping areas in the upper part and removable beds located on the “ground floor” with sitting benches and tables as well as storage space and a minimal kitchen arranged around a central stove.

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