Home, green home

A relocatable home can either float on a water location or be lifted by crane and fixed to a tower.

Ever wondered how it would be like to live in a mobile house? No, I am not talking about a trailor park home, but something very modern, technologically savvy and eco-friendly.

The idea of a relocatable home was recently presented at the recent Royal Institute of British Architects’ Future House London Exhibition.

This house is a relocatable sphere, which can either float on a water location or be lifted by crane and fixed to a tower beside other such spheres. The purpose of the spherical shape is to minimise the surface area of the house and thereby minimise heat loss to the environment.

The house consists of three levels: the living areas at the top, work and sleeping areas in the middle and service and storage areas at the bottom. In addition to this, the stairs, kitchen, bathroom and toilet are located in the central most part of the house. This core is also the conduit for the ducts, cables and pipes.

The house is energy self-sufficient due to the production of electricity by photovoltaic solar cells. The batteries for storing this electricity are in the bottom area. The house’s water tank is also used for the storage of heat collected during the day and released into the house at night.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2012.