The three-storey micro house that squats on a car parking space

Parking charges and residents’ permits rarely, if ever, reflect the real estate value of the land or road space occupied by the car. And yet, it’s an issue that drivers feel extremely strongly about.

Earlier this year we built a fake skip in which to store bicycles, but so angry were some drivers that we were temporarily replacing a single car parking space with storage for eight bicycle that they threatened to run us over. Just as well for architect Marco Casagrande then that the Finnish public are more open-minded with regards to parking spaces because latest project involves building a three-storey house on the footprint of one.

The Tikku house was built for Helsinki Design Week and has a work area on the first floor, a bedroom upstairs, and a small greenhouse/living space at the top.
The diminutive dwelling boasts a dry toilet and solar power, it has no running water or kitchen – the rationale is that its location enables easy access to food and water.

The Tikku houses units starts at £31,000. The price does not include delivery or a plot of land. Now, where did I put my residents’ parking permit?

Ethical home insurance

The ETA has been voted ethical in Britain

The Good Shopping Guide each year reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of the world’s companies and brands, with a view to supporting the growth of social responsibility and ethical business as well as a more sustainable, just society.

Beating household-name insurance companies such as John Lewis and the Co-op, we earned an ethical company index score of 89 – earning us joint-first place with Naturesave.

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Twenty seven years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance, travel insurance, breakdown cover and home insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

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