Prefab Sustainable Cabin in West Texas

Inspired by Thoreau with his Cabin and Le Corbusier with his Cabanon, an interdisciplinary group of students at Texas Tech University was able to construct this Sustainable Cabin in a design-build program headed by Urs Peter Flueckiger.  The off-grid cabin was fabricated in a warehouse and is now stationed west of Wichita Falls, where it is being used as a laboratory for students to study sustainable design principles. 

Sustainable Cabin, as shown in the embedded video, presents several architectural solutions to ecological issues relating to water use, energy production, and resource consumption — i.e., water harvesting, composting, natural ventilation, and solar power. 

The green prefab was built with a reclaimed double-wide chassis, composting toilet, battery for energy storage, solar panels, cedar exterior, corrugated iron exterior, recycled denim insulation, bamboo flooring, and energy-efficient Morso stove. 

Urs Peter Flueckiger, associate professor at the Texas Tech University College of Architecture, told us in an email that the total cost per square foot is under calculation.  He added that the program was supported by various grants and material donations, which allowed for the renting of a warehouse to prefabricate the dwelling. 

[+] More info on Sustainable Cabin Design Build Project. 

Credits: Urs Peter Flueckiger; noticed at MoCo Loco.