Clear Polycarbonate Room Above the Thames, London

Perched amid the rooftops of London, between the Thames River and the sky above, a sphere of clear polycarbonate designed by Julian King Architect, 7 m in diameter, encases a room of 42 s.m. The shell is joined along aluminum rings that divide the world into its four meridians. Guests ascend a gentle ramp to the raised floor. Inside, a central sky-lit shower is encircled by a 180° riverside seat. To the south, a queen size bed looks onto a roof garden. The unique envelope is coated with photo-voltaics, solidified drops of silicone on transparent film, in the shape of the continents of the Earth; providing all the energy the small room requires. LEDs on the interior surface give the room an ethereal glow at night. From a distance, the global room appears to be a moon, or the Earth itself-and for a moment we see our own planet for the finite, singularly miraculous home that it is.

Clear Polycarbonate Room Above the Thames, London - eVolo | Architecture Magazine