An odd building is gaining traction on social media. Situated between an alleyway and houses in Salatiga, Central Java in Indonesia, users are calling it the "world's skinniest hotel". Before the hotel, the land was being used as a dumping ground. The building has been designed by architect Ary Indra, as part of PituRooms Project. According to the website of the company, the hotel has five floors, with a width of nine feet, leaving just enough space to have seven rooms.
The hotel also has a rooftop lounge.
The architect faced a challenge in designing the building because of narrow space. Still, a deep foundation was employed to ensure the hotel's stability.
"Aside from the technical difficulties, the biggest challenge was the typical mindset surrounding the hospitality industry that is used to superlative words: biggest, tallest, most luxurious," Ary Indra told The Sun.
"We tried very hard to turn this limitation to become our strongest selling point, that this is a built study of micro-space, and guests can experience the possibility of living and choreographing their movement in 'just enough' space," the architect further said.
He said he is amazed by the reaction from guests who wonder how little space is actually needed to live and move comfortably.
Design Boom said the architecture prioritises functionality, with machinery and service rooms on top featuring cantilevered steel grating. The building also has a gill-like feature on the eastern facade to facilitate natural ventilation.
The design is making waves on social media, with users appreciating micro rooms that have all the amenities and artwork.
It is also being hailed as an innovative response to land-related issues in small Indonesian towns, offering an alternative model for development.
Salatiga is surrounded by mountains and has a population of 200,000.
