Concrete House

Above are some shots I found of an ultra-modern concrete house in Madrid. A bit big and extravagant for my taste, but it's still fun to look and marvel at this architectural feat. The contrasting grey walls poses an interesting interplay with the green hillsides and foliage throughout the interior.

Prefab Homes, Part 3 -- EcoSpace Studio

Its been a while since I have posted anything about prefabricated home, but there are still several other places I found to discuss. The EcoSpace Studio is one of my favorite prefab designs. Available as modular or bespoke sizes, ecospace is perfect for extending your living or working space. With emphasis on fast track installation, your ecospace is fully insulated, heated and ready to use within matter of days without compromising quality and attention to detail. The roof of the ecospace is covered in ultra-low maintenance organic plants that not only reduce the visual impact, they also ensure the area taken by the ecospace continues to give something back to the environment. The siding is cedar, the flooring is heated, and the windows are high-energy, sealed-unit double-glazing with Scandinavian pine frames. The homes are customizable and very affordable, check them out for yourself at ecospace.

Prefab Homes, Part 2 -- M-CH

Another week has past (a little over a week, actually) and I am ready to delve a little deeper into the topic of prefabrication. Last week I discussed the rather spacious, English made M-House. This week I want to discuss a much more compact, but even more efficient living space: the m-ch (or micro compact home). The m-ch was designed by Richard Horden and can be viewed in person at the O2 student village, Technical University of Munich. The m-ch is 2.6m cube with ceilings at around 2m. It is said that the m-ch was designed as an answer to an increasing demand for short stay living for students, business people, sports and leisure use and for weekenders. Its design has been informed by the classic scale and order of a Japanese tea-house, combined with advanced concepts and technologies. Living in an m-ch means focusing on the essential - less is more. This is a principle I couldn't agree more with... Our houses today are generally built to accommodate so much excess that it is outrageous. I love the sleek style and design and how efficient it is (including two double beds, kitchen area, fridge/freezer, etc.) Yet it remains to be seen if someone could actually abide living in such a confined space for an extended period; and it seems to be a bit pricey for get-away retreat at around 37,000 euros... at least on my budget.

Prefab Homes, Part 1 -- M-House

Architecture is something that has always been intriguing to me, though to be honest, I have never really given prefabrication much thought... until now. I was searching for modern home architecture and ran across a site that linked to several different modern, prefabricated home manufactures. Upon examination I was really intrigued about the prospect of prefab. It's quick, simple, modern, inexpensive for the most part and very efficient. The design I wanted to talk about first is the English-made M-House. The m-house is technically a caravan (or trailer) which allows it to be placed in a larger array of locations with lower restrictions (it even floats). With over 1000 sq. ft. of living space, the m-house has all the amenities you would expect in any contemporary housing configuration. The external finishing is done in a futuristic looking aluminum that really sets the house off. Anyone have any experience with these or seen them in person. I wonder what kind of foundation they require (if any)? I will continue to do some research on the m-house and update this blog as new information becomes available. Next week I plan on talking about another type of prefabricated home. Until then...