Affordable housing solutions: Prefab by the sea

James Rippon James Rippon
PROTOTIPO DE VIVIENDA UNIFAMILIAR PREFABRICADA, CON JURGEN VAN WEERELD I KARIN GIESBERTS, DMP arquitectura DMP arquitectura منزل جاهز للتركيب
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As the price of homes continues to rise, and as the tiny home movement takes off in big ways, small independent companies are forever coming up with new ways for people to live more affordable, more simple, and less materialistic lives. Living in a small house does not mean you cannot create the home of your dreams, or live in a home that is not stylish, comfortable, and complete with all the modern trimmings. Whilst living by the beach in Spain is the dream for many, one couple have chosen to live in the Spanish seaside city of Alicante in a small, prefabricated home that is worlds away from the dingy and soulless prefabricated homes of the past. A home of 51 square metres, put together by two builders in just 10 days and without the help of bulldozers or cranes, this eco-friendly home is forward-thinking, sleek, all in an ingeniously designed way.

The idea

The idea conceived by Spanish company DMP Arquitectura was to combat the all-too-many expensive and poor quality homes they had grown accustomed to seeing. Thus, a prototype was built as a quality, sustainable, and economically reasonable alternative. Timber was chosen as the dominant material, for the structure itself, for the exterior cladding, and for the interior finishes. The design is simple: a single volume that rises above the ground.

The materials

Timber not only gives the home an unbeatable structural quality, but also an aesthetic quality only attainable by natural materials such as wood. On top of this, it also helps the home draw a strong connection to its natural surrounds, not only in its material qualities, but also in its colour. To minimise their environmental footprint, solar panels have been installed on its flat roof to be completely self-sufficient for water heating, and an independent sewage system that purifies the home's waste water.

The interior

Inside, the home of only 51 square metres has it all. The living arrangement has been divided into two areas; day and night, parallel to one another. The half of the home accessed by the front door is where you will find the living room, kitchen, dining room and store room. These have been divided from the two bedrooms and bathroom, to create a simple, functional and spatially aware design that fits neatly in the small prefabricated home.

The bedroom

The walls have been cleverly designed to allow the home maximum access to natural light, and letting the shadows it creates add a simple yet strong visual impact to every room. Here in one of the bedrooms, horizontal wooden slats regulate the sunlight and the patterns it creates, whilst also adding privacy for those inside.

The construction

Minimal impact to the site has been made, with only four small concrete pillars affecting the ground, and a raised design that gives the house the illusion of almost floating, also minimising the impact.

Want to see another contemporary and affordable housing solution? Then check out this mobile home to-go.

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