Heating for the unit is provided by a Spartherm fireplace, with electric heating integrated into the magnesite floor. Walls are insulated with fire-tested wool felt under plywood panels.

It takes three to five days to install a Vipp Shelter onsite.

Mint green-painted ironwork and tiles connect the indoors to the outside more fluidly.

The Max-A studio is also built with a pine frame, though it has pine panelling on the ceiling, while the main house ceiling is painted a warm white.

For 2015, Vipp, the Danish industrial design company known for its iconic trash cans and all-black kitchens, introduces a 592-square-foot prefab unit called Shelter.

Delta Shelter | Olson Kundig

This 1,000 square-foot weekend cabin in Mazama, Washington, is essentially a "steel box on stilts," according to the firm. The three-story structure, which includes a living room and kitchen, can be completely shuttered when the owner is away.

Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan collaborated with New Haven, Connecticut, firm Gray Organschi on their midcentury-inspired New York vacation home.

The bathroom includes a stainless steel-and-aluminum Vipp bath module with integrated sink, faucet, and Corian countertop; Vipp spot lamp; glass-walled shower with a complete set of Vipp bathroom accessories; towels; and a Duravit toilet.

Mississippi native and designer Michael McDaniel was inspired to create the Exo shelter after seeing the government's response to Katrina. His goal was to create shelters that were low-cost, light enough to be set up by hand, easily transportable and safe and secure enough for families.

The structure bests anything FEMA’s been using in many ways -- it can be assembled by hand in two minutes, costs a quarter of the money to build and is stackable and portable (20 shelters, enough to house 80 people, can fit on a standard trailer truck.

McDaniel's solution ended up being uniquely American. “I found the best solution was the teepee as used by nomadic tribes in the Midwest,” he says. “Pretty amazing. It’s a highly portable and great communal structure.“ His company, Reaction, is running a campaign on Indiegogo to raise money to send Exo protoypes to areas in need around the world.

Wood decking extends out to the yard.

Amending Meeuwissen’s early request for an open bathroom space, the architects devised a more private chamber with an overhead skylight and walls in stone tile from Intercodam Tegels.

Vipp's prefab Shelter requires a delivery time of six months and costs $585,000. Pricing includes interior fittings, all by Vipp, including bathroom vanity, lighting, leather daybed, kitchen island, dining table (pictured), bedding, storage, and even kitchen utensils.

After - living room (Rubio monocoat floors, Chantilly lace walls, used fireplace)

Grocery List Manager A grocery list manager will hook up to your computer or phone and let you create a list, ready for you to print out when you are going shopping. This is the precursor to a cool smart fridge that is being released this year. The fridge will connect to the internet, allowing you to access your grocery list from anywhere you have access to the internet. Photo via TechCrunch.

The materials palette that I chose is light in color with a few splashes of color. This lightness holds the space open and gives it a contemporary feel.

Designed by Taliesin student Dave Frazee, the Miner's Shelter in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a 45-square-foot dwelling that responds to its harsh desert environment with a special metal cover that keeps it shaded at all times. Copyright Nathan Rist.

99 by Von Tundra and Lydia Cambron $13,000 Oregon-based Von Tundra’s unit combines three different storage options—a rack, drawers, and boxes—into a multipurpose dresser.

In the kitchen, Walker continued an earthy color scheme. The range and wall oven are by BlueStar, the hood is from Zephyr, and the island is Caesarstone.

Vipp's prefab Shelter units are made in factory in Denmark with a six-month lead time.

The color of the Fishers’ front door was inspired by an old Land Rover Defender’s hue, which Charlie had Benjamin Moore custom-match.

Shelter-Kit provides a range of structures, including cabins, barns, garages, and workshops. The New Hampshire-based company produces custom kits in a range of styles and sizes, and 85% of their kits are assembled by clients with no previous building experience. New small homes or second units are customized to meet the needs of individual customers, who can browse the company’s website to view floor plans, images, and final product ideas. Customers can even send over a draft floor plan of their own design.

Designed and built by Diedricksen himself, the Periscope was intended to be a treehouse, but its tall, elongated form made it impossible to hoist into its canopy. Today, it remains fixed to the ground in Canton, Massachusetts. Copyright Derek Diedricksen.

The couple snapped up a 2,600-square-foot late-18th-century flat, which they’ve since filled with vintage finds and Hayon’s own designs and prototypes.

Yolo Colorhouse / Paints Poster-sized sample swatches, a host of attractive colors, and nontoxic paints let pint-sized paint company Yolo Colorhouse handily compete with their mega-sized corporate competitors.

The pentagonal profile that is a recurring motif in HOK's cat shelter references traditional housing shapes. The idea was to create a design that could be replicated and built with a kit-of-parts-style of assembly.

Shelter No. 2, Broisson Architects, 2008 This prefab made mostly of recycled materials is modest, but not too modest for a spiral staircase. Three levels culminate in a large skylight, which filters natural light all the way down to the ground floor's hydroponic garden.

Exos are wired for connectivity, can sleep a family of four and offer safety and security via digital locks and an exterior made of aircraft-grade aluminum.

Delta Shelter, Mazama, Washington, 2002. Photo by Tim Bies/Olson Kundig Architects.

Delta Shelter | Olson Kundig

Delta Shelter, designed by Tom Kundig. Photo by Tim Bies, Olson Kundig Architects.

Xystum Color Block vase by CB2. Postmodernism appropriates classical cues in a Pop-y, contemporary manner. Therefore, this vase’s name, a Greek architectural term loosely translated as “portico,” is apropos.

The Armadillo is parked on a 1,000-square-foot lot that gives the couple ample outdoor space.