The Y:Cube, a prefab modular block of apartments has just been completed in London. It will provide comfortable and affordable units for the city’s homeless. Being modular and prefabricated offsite, the constructions costs can be kept low, so the rent will be about 65 percent of the market rate for similar apartments. (more…)
The yurt has been around for a long time, which makes sense since it is a pretty good design for a shelter. Freedom Yurt-Cabins, based in Aurora, Colorado have recently unveiled a modern take on this classic, which includes energy-efficient windows, good insulation and a real front door.
Ecoliv is an Australian modular builder, which makes truly sustainable homes from the ground up. Modular homes are supposed to be greener and more eco-friendly than traditionally built ones, but Ecoliv goes one step further in making homes that really go the distance when it comes to sustainability, and which will appeal to wide audience. (more…)
Shortly after World War 2 the French architect Jean Prouvé designed the so-called demountable house, which was to be used as temporary housing for all those who lost their homes during the war. Eight hundred of these houses were ordered at the time, and they were so easy to assemble that it took just one day to build the house and make it inhabitable. The original homes did not have a kitchen or bathroom though. (more…)
The Ecoshelta is a modular building system designed by architect Stephen Sainsbury of Canberra, Australia. It comprises a system of corrugated aluminum panels over a timber frame, which enables the construction of buildings that can be scaled up or down, added to, and which are easy to assemble and disassemble, so they can be relocated easily, while also being robust and durable.
The design firm CannonDesign, or more precisely their design studio Yazdani Studio, recently introduced a unique and modern Sleeping Pod, which will be used as student housing at the University of Utah’s Lassonde Studios. The Sleeping Pod is a fully furnished dorm room, and could also easily be used as a guesthouse, office space, extra bedroom or temporary housing. (more…)
