Modern architecture and innovation seem to be able to do anything. In the south of England, based in Abingdon, a construction company manufactures foldable industrialized houses that can be moved by truck and with the operation of the remote control can be assembled in just 10 minutes.
Many may call it the “Robocop del Real Estate”, but the truth is after it is installed in a field after pushing a few buttons, in addition to being able to reside in the place, it can be used for other uses such as offices, annexes of a hotel, campaign sanitary supplement, among other possibilities.
The company that designed it Ten Fold Engineering, which specializes in dry construction and also developed facilities that are used in the pit in Formula 1 motorsport competitions. In addition, they have a headquarters in Springfield, Vermont, United States.
What are folding houses like
To be installed, you need to have a piece of land and the concept from which they start is that of a cube or prism that is easy to transport and, moreover, that unfolds on its own.
Deploying the house is as simple as pressing a button. The secret, according to the creators, is in the levers and counterweights that greatly reduce the power requirements to extend the structure. Although in some cases electric motors are required, Ten Fold's goal is to use these counterweights to extend as quickly as possible. There are even some models in which no extra power supply is required.
Each unit will come with a 10-year warranty. This will cover the structure, the enclosure and the mechanics. The customer will take care of the interior. The units use hydraulic systems that are universal in most parts of the world, making them easy to repair and maintain.
In order for them to be installed, it is recommended to make a concrete plate or a steel plate to make sanitary and electrical connections. And once it is transported, it gets as close as possible to the stalls so that the deployment of the construction begins.
In England, the United States and also in Argentina, there are regulations to comply with for their transfer, and there is a legal framework for rolling towed vehicles in order to comply with all the regulations they make regarding safety.
In general, homes where steel and aluminum are the main protagonists have two formats, one of 42 (with one bedroom) and another of 84 square meters with two bedrooms. Its cost would range in our country at the rate of USD 600 to 700 per m2.
“We set out to do something new, but at the same time, we wanted to invite the whole world to have a different idea about the concept of home. And to have another interpretation of what the immediate future can be like in the 21st century,” said David Martyn, CEO and founder of Ten Fold Engineering.
Its maintenance is almost zero because it is treated with ultra-resistant anti-corrosion materials, and it can even be relocated, so once the furniture, appliances and their connections have been removed, they can be dismantled and moved back by truck to another destination.
The ease of relocation will depend on the intended use of the unit. If you need sewer, water and utilities, you will have to prepare the site before deployment and you will need a plumber and electrician to connect the plumbing and power. Units are moved using standard container shipping methods (see videos).
Once the unit has been put in place, a person can easily open it via the connected remote control. The remote control controls the opening and closing of the unit. When it has been opened, the customer simply has to place the contents stored on the unit in their respective place and everything is ready.
These units are designed to be untethered when they are within a low-intensity wind area. Areas with stronger winds will require an engineering connection to ground. An example of such a connection would be to mold and lay underground pipes. Then, the legs would be screwed to secure the building.
How is it assembled
The unit will automatically deploy out of the truck, without the need for specialized equipment on site. This means that no crane or forklift will be needed for unloading and deployment. “This is a significant money saver for our customers, who don't have to pay for installers or specialized transport. They are buying this structure so that they can move it in the future,” Martyn added.
Such structures could also have other uses, related to the world of leisure and entertainment, such as in the organization of festivals.
They are also sustainable and have articulated arms that fold and unfold, they can even be mounted one module on top of the other, allowing you to create a building in the style of Lego blocks.
Martyn explained that “the structure also allows the introduction and adaptation of composting toilets, sustainable piping or wastewater systems, as well as showers and other accessories that can be made static or dynamic.”
Review albiceleste
In Argentina, houses, offices or workplaces are built in sea containers, but for now folding houses are not part of the range of construction options.
Claudio Mazur from +Ur Arquitectura told Infobae that “at the moment this type of construction has something to do more with leisure than with a home to reside all year round. We don't have much experience in the subject, but because they don't have drains or connections they are like hollow boxes. If we wanted to build them in our country, they would be somewhat costly to achieve, they are futuristic archetypes.”
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