Do you think you could live in less than 100 square feet of space? The creator of aVOID, 27-year-old Leonardo De Chiara, is in the process of finding out. The architect is spending a year living in the minimalistic 97 square foot house discovering what tiny living really means.

Having grown up in a tiny room in Pesaro, Italy, Leonardo was forced to learn how to organise his space and fit his belongings in what little storage he had. "I grew up with a minimalistic lifestyle, which certainly influenced my design," he explains. 

His fascination for experimental living spaces brought him to join the Tinyhouse University in July 2016. After studying as a student, he then went on to build his very own home, aVOID, which has won him the Premio Berlino 2017, a prestigious award for young talented architects.

He's now in the process of living and travelling in aVOID for one year. "Like many fresh graduate students, I couldn't imagine settling my life in one place forever," he explains. The space can be reconfigured for small conferences, known as 'tiny talks', with the aim to educate the public on tiny living and the benefits it can have for the housing market. 

To start off the construction and design process, Leonardo had to decide on the size of the property. He settled on 97 square feet, which matched the exact size of his small childhood home.

The next step was to design the inside. In order for everything to fit inside Leonardo had to build transformable furniture. "Everything can be hidden into the wall surface when it is not in use, leaving 'a void' ready to be used again," Leonardo explains. This is where the inspiration came from for the name of the house.

Starting in May 2017 and finishing in the same year on 9th August, the project had an incredibly quick turnaround after the initial design process.

It was easy for the house to move from construction site to construction site, depending on the expertise needed, due to the structure being sat on wheels. Much like an Airstream, this tiny house is extremely mobile and made for living in different locations.

All the products and materials were donated by Italian and German companies who believe in the revolutionary impact of tiny houses in the real estate market, including the likes of Hawa and Hafele.

It was important for the design to use the right materials so that the home is portable and still has full functionality. Leonardo used wood for the frame to keep the structure lightweight. He then chose marine plywood for the interiors due to its water resistance, which was important for elements such as the shower. The outside is stainless steel for waterproofing and the lightweight aluminium windows also give a contemporary style.  

The house is comprised of one single room that, at first glance, appears to be lacking any furniture. However, the walls are made of different foldaway designs that transform the empty room into a liveable space.

The Murphy bed comes out from the 'functional wall', turning the empty space into a bedroom. This leaves enough room for everyday living as it can be put away into the wall when Leonardo doesn't need it.

The retractable bed also works as a sofa, which can also become a bench if used with the foldable table.

Leonardo worked with a lighting designer to create a system that illuminates the space to make it feel bigger. The functional walls also use pull-out sections to allow natural light to flood the room.

Leonardo describes the house as an 'open prototype' and a 'work-in-progress'. "The living experience allows me to verify, test and modify the house, implementing it with new solutions," he explains.

"I realised that every human being during the night produces a lot of water just by breathing (approximately one litre). So since the space is very small, water was creating condensation on the windows. I partnered with a company called Climapac, who created a tiny version of a mechanical ventilation system which exchanges air between the inside and outside to keep it clean," explains Leonardo.

With aVOID being a possible solution for overcrowded, expensive city living Leonardo wants people to experience a community feeling. "This is why my aVOID tiny house doesn't have any windows on the longer sides: It's a row house. It doesn't make any sense if there is no neighbour as the act of grouping together is expressed in the layout of the house," he explains. 

Leonardo describes himself as a 'new generation nomad'. "Living inside my tiny house is such an amazing experience and it helps me to improve the quality of the space," he says.

The house even has an outside space for Leonardo to enjoy. A ladder, which is normally kept in a cupboard, leads to the rooftop. "The windows are inclined and form a chaise longue," explains Leonardo.

At the moment, the house is parked in the middle of Berlin inside the garden of Bauhaus-Archiv. aVOID will be touring Europe, starting in Berlin and ending in Rome. You can find out more and follow Leonardo on his journey here.