Architecture

Cubicco's sustainable flatpack homes are built to withstand a hurricane

Cubicco's sustainable flatpack homes are built to withstand a hurricane
Florida-based Cubicco's line of flatpack homes are tougher than they look
Florida-based Cubicco's line of flatpack homes are tougher than they look
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Cubicco's line comprises a number of homes of varying size and shape, including an attractive little shelter that can be used as a studio, additional bedroom, or hurricane shelter
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Cubicco's line comprises a number of homes of varying size and shape, including an attractive little shelter that can be used as a studio, additional bedroom, or hurricane shelter
The cheapest full-size completed home the firm offers is the 96-2b Home, which measures 63 sq m (685 sq ft)
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The cheapest full-size completed home the firm offers is the 96-2b Home, which measures 63 sq m (685 sq ft)
The 96-2b Home includes two bedrooms, one bathroom, an office, kitchen, dining area and lounge inside, plus an optional deck, ramp, and covered porch
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The 96-2b Home includes two bedrooms, one bathroom, an office, kitchen, dining area and lounge inside, plus an optional deck, ramp, and covered porch
The homes are modular, so can be expanded if required, and can also be relocated or placed on stilts to protect against flooding
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The homes are modular, so can be expanded if required, and can also be relocated or placed on stilts to protect against flooding
Florida-based Cubicco's line of flatpack homes are tougher than they look
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Florida-based Cubicco's line of flatpack homes are tougher than they look
The homes are available in self-build or built packages, and the 96-2b model starts at US$115,300, built
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The homes are available in self-build or built packages, and the 96-2b model starts at US$115,300, built
Each of the homes feature hurricane-impact doors and windows, and they are rated at being able to withstand 180 mph (290 km/h) winds
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Each of the homes feature hurricane-impact doors and windows, and they are rated at being able to withstand 180 mph (290 km/h) winds
They're also green too, and come with a number of sustainable options, including rainwater harvesting and solar power
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They're also green too, and come with a number of sustainable options, including rainwater harvesting and solar power
Each of Cubicco's homes are built from sustainably-sourced wood, and optional green tech includes a vertical garden and green roof
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Each of Cubicco's homes are built from sustainably-sourced wood, and optional green tech includes a vertical garden and green roof
View gallery - 9 images

Prefabricated flatpack homes offer some benefits over their brick-and-mortar counterparts: they're efficient to build and transport, quick to erect, and they are often more affordable too. Florida-based firm Cubicco's line of flatpack homes offer all these pluses, and are also rated to withstand hurricane wind speeds of up to 180 mph (290 km/h). They can be outfitted with sustainable technology too, including rainwater harvesting and solar power.

Cubicco's line comprises a series of homes of varying size and shape, including an attractive little micro-shelter that can be used as a studio, additional bedroom, or hurricane shelter. The cheapest full-size completed house the firm offers is the one-story 96-2b Home, which measures 63 sq m (685 sq ft). The interior features two bedrooms, one bathroom, an office, kitchen, dining area, and lounge, and there's also an optional deck, ramp, and covered porch outside.

The homes can be expanded in size if required, and can also be placed on stilts if flooding is a concern. Each one of the homes is available in self-build or built packages, and the 96-2b model starts at US$115,300, built, or $58,500 for the most basic self-build unit.

Cubicco's line comprises a number of homes of varying size and shape, including an attractive little shelter that can be used as a studio, additional bedroom, or hurricane shelter
Cubicco's line comprises a number of homes of varying size and shape, including an attractive little shelter that can be used as a studio, additional bedroom, or hurricane shelter

Cubicco's homes are constructed from sustainably-sourced wood, and optional green technology includes a vertical garden and green roof. Depending on the package chosen, a roof-based solar power array can be installed to reduce grid-based requirements, or with the addition of batteries at extra cost, allow the homes to run totally off-grid. A rainwater harvesting system can also be installed, that channels rainwater collected from the gutter into an underground tank. Air-conditioning is optional, as is a geothermal heating system, depending on where the home is to be located.

The roofs of Cubicco's homes are rated to withstand snow loads of over 3 m (10 ft), and each of the models feature hurricane-impact doors and windows. The homes are rated at being able to withstand 180 mph (290 km/h) winds and so should theoretically be able to withstand even a particularly nasty Category 5 hurricane with relative ease (the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale rates a Category 5 hurricane as 157 mph – or 252 km/h – or more).

Cubicco's furnished model home is available to view at the firm's facility in Miami.

Update (May 11, 2020): Cubicco's website is down and they appear to have gone out of business.

Source: Cubicco

View gallery - 9 images
4 comments
4 comments
Bob Flint
The open modules of the system may survive, but how are the furnishings, protected?
Much more importantly where are the occupants to seek shelter?
Don Duncan
The insulation (R factor) is very important. Is it available in super-R? Is it air tight? Radiant heating/cooling? Thermal sinks? E-glass?
Griffin
Once again:
It's not the wind,honey... it's the debris.
At 190mph, cars can fly... along with all manner of dangerous objects.
the.other.will
The furnishings & the occupants are protected by the "hurricane-impact doors and windows" mentioned at the end. 685 sq.ft. is smaller than almost all ordinary new homes so the unit cost is bound to be high. It would still be interesting to see what an otherwise similar structure with concrete block exterior walls would cost.