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Ecocapsule Portable House

Posted: May 25, 2015
Ecocapsule Portable House

When the item in question is a house, how do you define "portable"? For me it was always the train car-looking mobile home my grandma's cousin Ella Mae used to live in that could be dragged from city to city in Florida on the back of a big truck. But Ecocapsule, a low-energy house condensed to a completely new version of portable, is small enough in its shipping container to be airlifted anywhere in the world, and then pulled by a unicorn (or other pack animal) to your final destination.

Entirely self-contained and energy-efficient, the Ecocapsule still tries hard to retain some of the "luxuries" of contemporary living. With a cozy bed, running water, and tools for fixing a hot meal inside, the pod is no New York penthouse, but it will serve you and your favorite + 1 pretty darn well on a weeklong glamping trip, or take you comfortably off-grid for as long as your favorite +1 is able to retain the title.

Specifically, the Ecocapsule interior houses a built-in kitchenette with running water and restroom facilities with a flushing toilet and hot shower. Power comes courtesy of a nifty built-in wind turbine, plus an array of 2.6m2 high-efficiency solar cells covering the unit's body. This duo of power sources feeding into a high-capacity battery is intended to cover all bases and keep the Ecocapsule running even during periods of reduced solar or wind activity.

Additional optimized design elements include the capsule's spherical shape, ideal for collecting rainwater and dew, and built-in water filters that enable the conversion of any water source to usable H2O.

Dimensions are 2.55m deep x 4.45m long x 2.25m tall (4.5m with extended pole of wind turbine). Weight is 1500 kg (3300 pounds).

Slovakian architectural team Nice Architects plans to begin taking pre-orders for the Ecocapsule in the last quarter of 2015, with delivery of the initial run of units starting in the first half of 2016. Pricing will also be announced in the last quarter of 2015.

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