Idees

The new prefab unit is located just a few meters from the main home—a thatched-roof cottage that dates back to the 1950s. “The dark color of the cladding blends into the dark hedges in the garden, so the unit doesn’t attract too much attention,” says Vriesema.

The $85K off-grid tiny home on wheels Gonçalo Marrote designed in Mafra, Portugal, looks to views of rolling hills and wide-open sky.

“I envision people writing their books, music, refuelling their creative flow,” says Castillero. He should know about its energizing power more than anyone, really: it brought him back to his love of architecture, after all. “It’s truly my new happy place.”

Designed by architect Douglas Peterson-Hui during the COVID-19 pandemic, this camper has enough space for two people to sleep, cook, and stay out of the rain while camping.

Dimensions X was founded in 2020 by entrepreneur Oscar Martin and architect Peter Stutchbury to answer one question: How can prefab housing be more site-responsive? Their answer is the modular cross-laminated timber OM-1, a roughly 600-square-foot cabin where everything from its dimensions to its envelope can be optimized and adjusted to better suit its environment, and its owner.

The moveable prefab currently sits nestled on a remote lot, surrounded by towering trees.

According to the architects iHouse Estudio, this prefab in Punto del Este, Urugay, aims to immerse the residents in the forested surroundings. “Continuing with this idea,” they add, “the house features a flowing interior with no interior walls. Inside, blocks contain bathrooms, a kitchen, and closets, freeing the rest of the spaces to connect with the setting. The forest is framed at all times."

“What often happens in our relationship is I come to Funn with an idea and he makes it into something livable.” —Vincent Kartheiser