Multipod Studio, a French architectural firm, recently made the first prototype of a sustainable, lightweight, and recyclable modular passive home. Once they are finished testing it, they will begin selling these affordable and very efficient homes. This home is called Pop-Up House, which is a pretty apt name, since it can be assembled in just four days using only an electric screwdriver.

The Pop-Up House measures 1,614 square feet (150 square meters), and features an open plan kitchen, dining and living room area. The home also features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, as well as an office and a terrace. That’s quite an impressive area for a home that can be built in just four days.

The home features a spruce wood frame, which is easy to construct. It is insulated using expanded polystyrene insulation blocks, while the home also features laminate veneer wooden floor. All of this is held together with wood screws. According to Multipod Studio no prior construction experience is needed to assemble the Pop-Up House, and they even go so far as to compare the assembly process to building with Legos.

The Pop-Up House has an airtight thermal envelope, which together with great insulation, means that no heating is necessary so long as the home is located in a temperate hot climate. The home also meets the strict Passivhaus energy standard, so the home should be efficient to heat even in colder regions.

Multipod Studio is currently still testing the prototype, and there is no word yet when these units will become available for purchase. They estimate that a Pop-Up House will cost about $41,000 (€30,000). This price includes assembly, but not the plumbing and electrical wiring. Even without all that, though, the home is still very affordable, especially given that it is a passive house.

The construction firm Heijmans of Holland has just unveiled a prototype for a prefabricated home, which they plan to erect in city areas and rent out to single young people looking for their first home. This first version of the home is called Heijmans ONE and should be launched soon.

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Wouldn’t it be great to have a whole apartment at the snap of your fingers? Turns out you can, sort of. The Portugal-based design firm OODA has come up with innovative, unique free standing volumes, which can turn any room into a home, and can be folded down into a box for transport. OODA has recently transformed derelict buildings in the city of Porto into affordable accommodations for tourists and seasonal foreign students, by using these volumes.

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The South American firm MAPA Architects recently unveiled the first of its Minimod (which is short for Minimal Modular) tiny homes, which can be used for a variety of purposes, from a tiny vacation home, to a hotel. In other words, these modular units are incredibly adaptable and can be assembled together to form a dwelling of any size. The separate units resemble shipping containers at first glance, but that is not what the company is using to construct them.

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The Commons, located in Melbourne, was designed by the firm Breathe Architecture and it just might he most sustainable apartment building in Australia. It s beautifully and thoughtfully designed, with sustainability etched into every available surface.

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The firm Djuric Tardio Architectes built a green, prefab family home, which is located in Antony-Paris, France. The home blends in nicely with the surrounding houses in this old neighborhood, yet still boasts a number of very sustainable and modern features. The two-story family home measures around 808 square feet (246 square meters) and is built using only wood panels.

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