Adam Kalkin’s Architectural Poetry

by | Aug 13, 2005

Radical architect, Adam Kalkin, lives in a unique shelter in New Jersey called “Bunny Lane”. It’s a small house fitted inside an industrial shed.

image
image

Kalkin is also noted for building the Quick House from recycled shipping containers. In the Vassar College alumni magazine, Kalkin, who studied English as an undergrad, says:

The cargo containers, with a life span of about 20 years when used for their original purpose, have an “infinite life span” when stationary and properly maintained. Giving these formerly mobile containers a permanent home as homes means that despite providing the structure for a brand-new house, each container comes with its own ready-made and traveled history. “You can look at them both as junk or as something special,” Kalkin notes. “To me they are like a treasured antique: they may not be inherently valuable, but the history and the storytelling add value.” Kalkin’s inventive architectural vision grows directly out of his belief in interconnectedness. He argues, “We come from a culture of sampling. I’m just out there in the world picking out things and reusing things—sampling—from my experience and from what other people have already invested a lot of time and energy in. I think there’s a tremendous amount of richness out there.”