During the last week I’ve received a couple of emails containing links to stories about some innovations that could really cause us to rethink the way we design and construct buildings.
The first of these is called The Cubitat. It’s a 3m x 3m x 3m cube which turns the idea of a house inside out. Designed by Toronto-based Urban Capital it fits all of the essential functions of a house, i.e. kitchen, bathroom, laundry, bedroom, entertaining area and storage cupboards into a central core that looks a bit like a rubic’s cube. The idea is that you can plonk this thing into any empty space (like a disused warehouse for example), plug it in and voila, you have a house.
The Cubitat by Urban Capital, Toronto.
Check out either of the links below for more details about the concept. What I find interesting about it is the way it seems to ask the question, ‘What is a house?’. We typically think of a house as shell with all of its functional elements inside and focused inwards. The Cubitat puts everything except the bathroom on the outside focused outwards. It’s an extremely efficient use of materials and space and makes me rethink what is possible in design.
Even more challenging to our current way of doing things is the idea of 3D printed buildings. Of course I’d heard about the concept but thought it was still years away. Not so! It’s already here, or at least in China. Check out the following article, watch the video, then tell me this won’t change the way buildings are conceived, designed, and built in the future. It boggles my mind to think about what possibilities this might unlock.
http://www.cnet.com/news/worlds-first-3d-printed-apartment-building-constructed-in-china/
It’s particularly encouraging to note that these buildings were printed with recycled waste material. It’s reassuring to know that, from the very outset, this technology is being used in environmentally responsible ways.
3D printed apartment building in China
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