‘MADE IN ITALY’ MICRO HOME HITS EU/US MARKET
AN ITALY-US COLLABORATION HAS BORNE FRUIT IN THE FORM OF A SUSTAINABLE, PREFABRICATED ‘MICRO HOME’ RANGE.
Milan’s Mandalaki Design Studio teamed up with California based company Boutique Homes to produce the homes, branded Monocabin and now available to customers across Europe and the US.
Monocabin can be assembled in seven days. Homes start at around 27 square metres and feature a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living/dining area.
The vision of Monocabin’s makers was to simplify the process of designing and constructing a small home, eliminating the need for architects, engineers and interior designers. Each home also designed to minimise environmental impacts, from construction to energy consumption, across its lifespan.
At the same time, high design values and liveability have been optimised, with a strong focus on natural light and the interplay between indoor and outdoor living, with nature foregrounded.
Fabricated by Italian company Habito and assembled onsite by a team of specialists, the home’s components include walls made of a combination of fibre reinforced concrete, plywood and drywall – with insulation made of hemp.
The walls are 20 centimetres thick to optimise acoustics and thermal insulation, with both interior and exterior wall surfaces designed to lend themselves to a range of finishes according to customers’ needs.
Monocabin features a flat roof covered in ribbed steel panels, triple-glazed windows with sandblasted aluminium frames and ‘smart walls’ featuring water heating, air conditioning and heating, an electrical panel, storage space and an Apple TV. Customers can select from add-on features, such as solar panels, automated blinds and a smart-home system.
The Monocabin M model consists of a linear volume adjoined to a smaller box, while two larger models are also offered: Monocabin L is 34 square metres and Monocabin XL is 63 square metres.
The Monocabin is one of a number of recent ‘micro-home’ releases applicable to both urban and non-urban settings and designed to ease widespread housing availability crises.■
