Inhabitat » MICRO-MINI HOME

August 22, 2005

MICRO-MINI HOME

Inspired by the intimate scale of a Japanese tea house and the compact efficiency of a smart-car, students working on a joint project between the Technical University of Munich and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have come up with a tiny, transportable dwelling called the Micro-Compact Home (m-ch). The lightweight structure is only 2.65 m cubed (roughly 77 sq ft), but incorporates everything a person needs in a home in its super compact design.

The tiny cube provides a double bed on an upper level and working table and dining space for four to five people on the lower level. The entrance area has triple use: it functions as a bathroom and drying space for clothing, in addition to a lobby. Costing just 50,000 Euros, this little prefab integrates state-of-the-art technology into its compact design, boasting a sound system, flat screen TV, and temperature controls. It requires no furniture and all storage space is cleverly concealed within the structure of the dwelling.

Students working on the project are now using prototypes to create a mini-village on the Technical University of Munich campus.

+ Micro-Compact Home

30 Responses to “MICRO-MINI HOME”

Robin Says:

September 15th, 2005 at 12:47 pm

I like it a lot but it seems a bit expensive, about the same price as some homes with land here in Tasmania. How is it heated or cooled?

Alberto Uribe D. Says:

September 16th, 2005 at 1:25 pm

Es un placer para mi estudiar una propuesta esencial,M?nima,para disfrutar el entorno y aportar. Soy arquitecto y artista Colombiano. Gracias.

Nicholas Cafarelli Says:

November 1st, 2005 at 4:19 am

I am trying to find more floorplan information for the “Micro Compact Home”. Should anyone have information, images, links, or clues as to how the multipurpose entryway is configured, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

kayla wilson Says:

November 17th, 2005 at 12:23 am

this unique home seems useful for those with simple needs but i wish there were the blueplrints avaiable and more picitures of people interactin in the space to get of an idea of how the space really is configured

Jabronia Says:

December 18th, 2005 at 8:16 pm

this is pretty sweet

Harry Says:

January 17th, 2006 at 5:58 am

Fantastic! Would love to see anything similar to this.

S. Trinder Says:

January 26th, 2006 at 7:08 pm

These look like mass produced houes for mass production of cloning, like Domo Arigato Mr.Roboto, a Sci-fi house, perhaps from Animal Farm. Perfect housing for clones.

Inhabitat » Blog Archive » PREFAB FRIDAY: weeHouse Says:

June 16th, 2006 at 2:48 pm

[…] Like the Loft Cube or the Micro-compact Home, the weeHouse is a single module that can be plopped on just about any site, including a rooftop. The basic unit is framed with steel and wood, and comes with tongue-and-groove bamboo flooring, and Ikea cabinetry, kitchens and sinks. At present, the only “green” features it boasts are its extremely compact and efficient size, and off-site construction, but the company plans to incorporate more sustainable finishes and materials in the future. […]

steve burritt Says:

June 29th, 2006 at 2:08 am

only thing missing is the hitch and wheels.

C Quil Says:

September 17th, 2006 at 12:58 am

What beautiful small houses! They can shelter us when we need it, let the outside in and encourage us to go outside when we can.

I love these little houses.

geek2 Says:

September 19th, 2006 at 8:09 am

Nice but I’m slightly skeptical. I’d like to see more interior pictures, particularly of the kitchen facilities, bathroom, and sleeping area. A house needs to accommodate four basics: sleep, eat, wash, and poop. Function comes before form; we live in our entire bodies not just through our eyes.

IMO, the greatest value of sub-micro house designs is to provide design concepts that can be used in larger houses i.e. micro or mini. I designed a microhouse floorplan for 144 square feet, and managed to fit in all the basics while remaining ground-level accessible (for example to an older person who can’t climb stairs or ladders). Going from that to a design with 250 square feet, the added space seems downright luxurious! (77 square feet is a challenge, approx 8-3/4 feet by 8-3/4 feet; I admit I haven’t tried the exercise on that scale but may do it just to see how it comes out:-)

The goal is not to squeeze oneself into a closet with running water, but to build in a manner that is efficient and sustainable and lasting, and to provide the basis for personal touches that make the place a home or at least a nest.

Gregory Haley Says:

November 1st, 2006 at 12:52 pm

I am so excited about this product. They are not available in the United States just yet and am looking forward to it. hmm — maybe they just need a local reseller…… just give me a ring! It is true these are probably furnished through an Ikea format - but it does not have to be. I see great things in this guys future — and hopefully mine!

As for greening the project - I do think there should be a standard solar power package and possibly a water catchment / UV purification system. As I have researched it is a wood frame and would seem to convert well to stardard SIP panels.

Also I would LOVE to see geek2’s 144sq/ft layout. I have not tried to create my micro house that small- but I will give it a shot.

LaMarr Says:

January 2nd, 2007 at 9:13 pm

I live in a six foot square home it’s made by Volvo. I Drive a Semi Truck. Like the other visitors I would like to see people living in it and a floor plan. The volvo has a double bunk sleeper the passenger side has a closet behind the Air seat. The console behind the Drivers seat was removed before I got the truck. This area has a large bin that holds a porta potti and lets me use a portable shower with a plastic curtain. I have a chest refrigerator that fits between the seat. I have a small buffet burner and some pots so I can cook on the side of the truck. Cooking odors are too strong inside a small space. I like the guy from Idahos idea of a BBQ window so you can cook outside and stay in the house.

Walter Says:

June 21st, 2007 at 10:53 pm

Any possibility of sales in the United States? if not, any restrictions on importing one in?

Michael V. Says:

June 22nd, 2007 at 10:17 am

Yes, I would like to see a family of 4 really live in this closet for more than year without go crazy or the need for a shrink!

am-m Says:

June 23rd, 2007 at 11:45 am

Looks very uncomfortable. The transition from standing in the kitchen, cooking, to sitting at the table, while holding one’s dinner plate, drink, cutlery, etc. would be a real challenge.. but as every surface looks to be hard and sterile it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to clean up the mess.

And where’s the bathroom in this..? I’m not sure I’d want it so close to the kitchen/dining area.. could get kind of gross, especially if you have more than one person living in it. You could forget ever eating Mexican food again after moving into this Kinder toy.

No.. this is just a very silly and short-sighted idea. But it could have one useful purpose; forcing futuristic home designers to live in it to teach them to design for people, not mathematical representations of the Ideal Man.

Micro-Mini Casa // menéame Says:

June 23rd, 2007 at 12:07 pm

[…] por estudiantes de Technical University of Munich y de Tokyo. Tiene solo 2,65 metros cubicos. http://www.inhabitat.com/2005/08/22/micro-mini-home/etiquetas: vivienda, 30 metros, foto sin comentariosen: cultura, curiosidades negativos: 0 karma: […]

if Says:

June 24th, 2007 at 11:46 am

$ 45,796.18 US Dollars = INSANE. Just a wee bit greedy?

MAX PRICE: $9999

Thanks for the concept, that you could find in any Truck Bed RV design…

if Says:

June 24th, 2007 at 11:51 am

$ 45,796.18 US Dollars = INSANE. Just a wee bit greedy?

MAX PRICE: $9999

Thanks for the concept, that you could find in any Truck Bed RV design…

OH, and no place to wash your clothes, I guess you just stink ?
No place for a TV or Computer - Informationless existence?
Needs a DISH on top for HDTV reception….

If you could order it on-line, the Max Price was $9999, and it could be installed permanently by local crew, or just Wheel mounted for camping - that would be great.

Otherwise - a completely flawed failed idea from the get-go.

Mass Production should Earn $2000 profit on every $9999 unit sold…

There is no market for something with all the flaws of a camper,
with none of the benefits of an RV.

Dave Says:

July 3rd, 2007 at 8:54 am

I like the concept but reality crushes this like a tin can. Big problem is storage space - where does even a modest collection of clothes, books and sports gear get stashed? Living here would mean outsourcing your laundry, cooking, and storage among other basic functions.

Enlaces para leer y ver 35 « el50 Says:

July 8th, 2007 at 6:29 am

[…] El Top 5 de las casas prefabricadas más pequeñas / Inhabitat. Solo lo necesario para vivir pero no por eso dejando de lado la comodidad. Como bien dicen más grande no quiere decir mejor, aunque con esa vista es lo que menos me importa. […]

CBD Says:

July 9th, 2007 at 1:55 pm

A home for people who don’t have to shower or use the bathroom?

Inhabitat » PREFAB FRIDAY: O2 Student Village Says:

July 27th, 2007 at 4:45 am

[…] of the prefab Friday homes that we have featured, and none have received more criticism than the Micro Compact Home (m-ch) which we recently featured on our Top 5 Tiniest Prefab Homes post. But the proof is in the pudding, […]

Angela Ramos Says:

July 28th, 2007 at 6:17 pm

Im very interested in see more models on the micro mini homes. Thank you.

tooth Says:

November 6th, 2007 at 1:32 pm

As the carrying capacity of the earth is further excided, designs like this are going to be a necessity, not an option. American society is too materialistic at this point in time to see the benefits of not owning stuff that is not necessary to everyday existence. Why do you need a television AND a computer? And if you have a computer, why not make it a powerful notebook? The problem is not with the design, it is with American ideals…

andrew cauthen Says:

December 16th, 2007 at 6:24 am

I’m a musician 2nd, a human 1st, and can’t afford a house or even food because I am not willing to sell out to low frequency thinking. I am willing to happily live without though so I can serve the whole. It’s not about poverty, it’s about quality of life. So when I do have stuff, of course I have the best. And more than important than that, I have my time.

Let’s start a community of these houses for ambitious entrepreneurs of the future of life on planet earth. Nothing new. Anyone out there have land we can start on, ..in a city, of course! Since it would show others how to live right! It would be a real cost business that would build the future of human life on earth. THe most important business in the world! (if your human). It would have to be live / raw food, really sustainable, really intelligent thinking design that provides for all life, not just the rich and insecure. It would give people the time and space to finally start working out what’s kept us all in the dark ages for so long. It would eliminate “there is not enough” mentality. A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link.

What could be more fun and rewarding then a place to brainstorm and manifest quality of life for all?!

Luca Says:

January 4th, 2008 at 10:01 am

A very intersting concept!

Dude Says:

January 18th, 2008 at 5:15 am

Dude! seriously thats lame, you would be better of getting a caravan and getting a custom fit out done, it would cost not even a 1/4 of that price.

etsdesign Says:

March 18th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

LOVE your site. Thank you.

ets.

cerri Says:

August 20th, 2008 at 9:04 pm

“The entrance area has triple use: it functions as a bathroom and drying space for clothing, in addition to a lobby.”
That statement rather concerns me…

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