Architecture

Movable concrete micro-home can be installed in just 7 hours

Movable concrete micro-home can be installed in just 7 hours
Koda homes are expected to start selling in quantity next year
Koda homes are expected to start selling in quantity next year
View 14 Images
Koda homes are expected to start selling in quantity next year
1/14
Koda homes are expected to start selling in quantity next year
The home is built from concrete and ships in prefabricated sections
2/14
The home is built from concrete and ships in prefabricated sections
Koda comprises a total floorspace of 30.3 sq m (326 sq ft), mostly taken up by a large living room and kitchen area on the ground floor
3/14
Koda comprises a total floorspace of 30.3 sq m (326 sq ft), mostly taken up by a large living room and kitchen area on the ground floor
The windows are quadruple-glazed
4/14
The windows are quadruple-glazed
Architectural drawing of the prototype house
5/14
Architectural drawing of the prototype house
Architectural drawing of the prototype house
6/14
Architectural drawing of the prototype house
Architectural drawing of the prototype house
7/14
Architectural drawing of the prototype house
The firm also says that it is looking at producing models suitable for use as a classroom, cafe, office or workshop
8/14
The firm also says that it is looking at producing models suitable for use as a classroom, cafe, office or workshop
The home requires no foundations, so can be placed on-site within just seven hours and then moved with relative ease
9/14
The home requires no foundations, so can be placed on-site within just seven hours and then moved with relative ease
The living room looks surprisingly airy and is filled with natural light
10/14
The living room looks surprisingly airy and is filled with natural light
View of the kitchen area from the front of the prototype home
11/14
View of the kitchen area from the front of the prototype home
The bathroom to the rear of the prototype home
12/14
The bathroom to the rear of the prototype home
Stairs lead to a small bedroom area
13/14
Stairs lead to a small bedroom area
View of the living room from the sleeping area
14/14
View of the living room from the sleeping area
View gallery - 14 images

Estonian firm Kodasema is developing a prefabricated concrete micro-home that can be assembled and installed on-site within just seven hours, then moved to another location with relative ease. Once it's ready for market, the home is expected to fetch roughly €100,000 (around US$111,000), excluding transport costs.

Koda is built from concrete and ships in prefabricated sections, so when it arrives on-site, it only takes roughly seven hours to assemble and put into place. The home uses just 9 cubic meters (317 cu ft) of concrete in all. No foundations are necessary and it can be placed on gravel, asphalt, and other surfaces, providing it has a level footing.

While it's certainly no towable tiny home, it is promised to be relatively easy to move around. If the occupant wishes to change location, dismantling and preparing the home for transport can take around seven hours and involves a crane and truck.

The home comprises a total floorspace of 30.3 sq m (326 sq ft), mostly taken up by a large living room and kitchen area on the ground floor. Also on the ground floor lies a bathroom with toilet and bath/shower, while stairs lead to a small bedroom area and laundry room.

The home requires no foundations, so can be placed on-site within just seven hours and then moved with relative ease
The home requires no foundations, so can be placed on-site within just seven hours and then moved with relative ease

Kodasema is keen to promote Koda's sustainability and efficiency. The windows are quadruple-glazed and, while it requires hookups for water, electricity and sewage, the home's roof-based solar-panels will reduce grid-based requirements.

Insulation performance sounds very good too, with walls rated at a U value of 0.1 W/m²K, and windows with a U value of 0.3 W/m²K. Put simply, this should mean that it's cheaper to heat and cool.

The firm also says that it is looking at producing models suitable for use as a classroom, cafe, office or workshop, for example, and offering furniture as an all-in one package. A company rep told us that Koda homes are expected to start selling them in quantity next year.

Source: Kodasema

View gallery - 14 images
10 comments
10 comments
Island Architect
I like the basic design a lot but the construction seems very concerning.
In the Us we use the R value to have a simple number to determine the resistance of heat transfer. If this only has an R of 3 then is is not very good.
Poland is a great source of AAC and that would be far better than just plain concrete, much lighter and far more heat and sound resistive.
Might be nice to have a soapstone floor on AAC.
Quadruple glazing seems to be overkill and out of balance.
Solar panels on the roof plus maybe a side might be ok if they ar as high efficiency as possible.
From an aesthetic perspective this is very nice, but the cost projection seems to be too much.
I'd be inclined to compact a bed of crushed limestone, 3/4" to 2" as a base. Maybe 12" thick. The voids will hold the temperature.
A series of these staggered would make for a fine townhouse complex... of course plumbing is an issue but with more units the price would go down.
All in all, a great design, the best yet. Bravo!
A Bill Allison Wind engine at 59% efficiency would be a great addition.
Bill
BigGoofyGuy
I think that is really nice looking.
I hope it does not fall apart as quickly as it was built.
Nik
€100,000 for an oversize concrete shoebox is excessive, especially considering that there is no site included. Its not clear if the price includes assembly, but even so, I think a price of about half that asked would be more appropriate. There are also more appropriate materials to use than concrete. There are preformed construction panels of insulating materials available elsewhere in Europe, that are lighter, and therefore easier and cheaper to move and erect. They are also simpler to construct with, compared to concrete.
icykel
An interesting design that would go together well as a complex. I would not chose concrete. Too heavy and depending on type of concrete, weight for weight, not the best insulator. If steel is used for reinforcement it will sooner or later self-destruct - bamboo is used in place of steel by some constructors in Asia and works well being more compatible with concrete. There are certainly better materials, weight and insulation wise, available for this type of project.
glorybe2
Way, way too expensive to consider. Even buying three of these would leave you with less than 1,000 sq. feet. They need to rethink this unit and figure out how they can market it for 8K.
Where'sMyHoverboard
$111k? Oh dear.
Nathaneal Blemings
The price does seem high, but you need to understand that the cost is probably less then half that, they have to make a profit or this makes no sense. Also, its modular and meant to be reused from one site to another, its semi-portable. While the price is ALOT higher then what it would cost to build something permanent, if you had to move you might lose most of your investment. Especially if your moving from leased property to leased property for whatever reason. You need to understand that not every product that comes on the market is meant to mass-marketable, sometimes its a niche product developed for specific situations. Which is what I think this is. That being said I think the price is more then it should be, but i understand that it might not be possible to reduce it much and it still be profitable enough to pursue.
It definately looks good, i hope it works out for whoever is making it.
Mous
people who design bedrooms with no space to walk around the bed have never tried to make a bed up by standing on it.
moladi
€100,000 (around US$111,000), excluding transport costs. - WOW!!! Just to use a moladi example - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Low_cost_housing.JPG This house was built using removable reusable lightweight plastic formwork insitu for $20,000 in 5 days - Not produced ...transported...then erected
Rann Xeroxx
Why are these houses always so expensive. It pretty much makes them pointless.