Keret House is a structure and art installation in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, Poland. It was designed by the architect Jakub Szczęsny through the architecture firm Centrala, and has been described as the narrowest house in the world, measuring at its thinnest point and at its widest. The two-story art installation was named after Israeli writer and filmmaker

Etgar Keret Etgar Keret ( he, אתגר קרת, born August 20, 1967) is an Israeli writer known for his short stories, graphic novels, and scriptwriting for film and television. Personal life Keret was born in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1967. He is a third child ...

, who was the building's first tenant.

Building

The iron structure contains two floors, and has one bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living area. It has two non-opening windows, with sunlight also entering through translucent glass panels that make up the walls. The entire interior is painted white and the building's electricity is obtained from a neighboring building. The house has custom water and sewage technology and is not connected to the city-provided water systems. Because of its small size, the building only accommodates a small 2-beverage refrigerator, and occupants use a ladder to travel from level to level. Entry is via retractable stairs that, when closed, become the living area. The construction of the Keret House supported by the Warsaw Town Hall and was produced and realised by the

Polish Modern Art Foundation Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

. The house is classified as an "art installation" because it does not meet Polish

building codes A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permission ...

, even though it is being used as a residence. In 2019, it was named as one of the most iconic houses in the world and included on a list of international projects honoured by the architecture portal ''Iconic Houses''.

Location

Keret House is located between 22 Chłodna Street and 74 Żelazna Street in

, and is designated as the narrowest house in the world. The structure was installed between a pre-war house and an apartment building. Keret said that staying at the Keret House is like a "memorial to my family"; his parents' families died in World War II when

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

occupied Poland ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...

References

External links

Inside the Keret House (fr)

Keret House websiteKeret House in Warsaw - Video
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313184827/http://culture.pl/en/video/keret-house-in-warsaw-video , date=2014-03-13
Keret House opening in Warsaw - Image GalleryKeret House Is a Finalist of the Architizer A+ Awards
Buildings and structures in Warsaw Houses completed in 2012 Wola