Modular

Doesn’t anyone just use shipping containers for shipping anymore? Lately, we’ve seen the tough, stackable, easy-to-transport steel containers used for everything from a traveling restaurant to a mobile classroom to an off-grid house. Now, British company Snoozebox has come up with yet another clever use for them – a modular, scalable portable hotel system made up of multiple tiered containers, that can be set up anywhere within 48 hours.  Read More

Ideabox, an architectural firm from Portland, Oregon, has launched its "Aktiv" line of prefabricated homes which will be equipped with IKEA furnishings and appliances. The one-bedroom modular homes are claimed to be eco-friendly, and are designed with no wasted space.  Read More

The problem with campers is that you need a good tow vehicle with hitch to travel with them. If you have a smaller, less powerful car or lack a hitch, you'll need to spend money on a better car or hitch installation before you can even consider a camper. The Swiss Roombox levels the playing field, allowing even small car owners to enjoy many of the conveniences of a camping trailer. The device is a removable module that turns the average car into a mini-motor home.  Read More

Electronic waste is a huge global problem, and its often devastating impact on our environment is not going to lessen any time soon – in fact, it's predicted to get worse. Faced with a panorama of mountainous e-waste when passing an immense landfill site in suburban Phnom Penh, Cambodia and seeing young children working there instead of going to school, a researcher at Keio-NUS CUTE Center and Mixed Reality Lab in Singapore came up with a novel idea to help tackle both issues. His plan involves creating simple and cheap-to-produce edutainment kit modules that could be shipped out to those unfortunate areas of the world where e-waste is transported for disposal, where they would be paired up with discarded but functional tech such as PS/2 keyboards and mice, speakers and old CRT monitors.  Read More

Within the Lusatian Lake District in Germany, lies the unique Lausitz Geierswald Resort with its collection of floating residences. Designed by the German architectural firm Steeltec37, the floating village includes a collection of modular buildings designed to offer sustainable living and lakeside luxury.  Read More

NASA has announced it will use a modular, unmanned flight research vehicle being built by Lockheed Martin for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to test enabling technologies for new kinds of lightweight, energy-efficient, flexible aircraft. The small aircraft, dubbed the X-56A, will be used to explore ways to suppress vibrations and alleviate the load on flexible aircraft from wind gusts and atmospheric turbulence.  Read More

While we love the dangling treetop retreats located at Sweden's Treehotel, and the House Arc had us yearning for a private backyard hideaway, the eco-PERCH has to be the Rolls Royce of modern modular tree-houses. This eco-lodge concept was created by the UK architectural firm Blue Forest, which has a background in the design and construction of luxury treehouses and lodges.  Read More

House Arc, by Bellomo Architects, is a prefabricated off-the-grid housing solution that facilitates compact living. The project was originally designed as an environmentally sensitive and affordable method of housing that is not only functional but also attractive to the eye. Furthermore, it is designed to be easily packed and shipped to any location, where it can then be erected by the user or community. "We designed it to be a kit of parts that can be assembled quickly-like an IKEA house," says House Arc architect Joseph Bellomo.  Read More

The Decagon Link Station is a modular tent system by Japanese camping firm Logos. The various tents, canopies and tunnels of the Decagon range can be selected and connected as needed for a bespoke tent tailored to the specific needs of the user. Campsite etiquette notwithstanding, there's no theoretical limit to the size and complexity of the final assembly.  Read More