As tiny homes gain popularity for their climate resilience and assistance in building temporary and affordable housing, designers are eager to play with the medium in the most effective and sustainable ways.
Take Inspiral Architects, for example, an architecture firm that has developed the Drop Pod.
“Drop Pod is a home that can be placed on a variety of topography and scenes,” the firm’s website shares. “Whether it’s an urban area in a wealthy country or a developing country battling climate change, the Drop Pod provides the solution.”
A modular housing solution, Drop Pod is as stylish as it is tiny, bringing the firm’s signature modern flair to projects designed to be deployed rapidly.
And in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, the first Drop Pod prototype has been installed.
The prefabricated house looks like it was indeed dropped into place from some far-away world in outer space. With a futuristic pod-like exterior, the Lombok design takes a curved form and uses natural materials to allow integration with local landscapes.
The modular frame also provides structural stability, with the home capable of being elevated up to 1.2 meters (or about four feet), allowing the home to withstand flooding and unstable ground, concerns often held in regions vulnerable to climate disasters. It also appears to be powered by solar panels.
“Nowadays, we see ourselves more and more confronted with issues of constant growth of population and major changes in our climate,” Inspiral Architects shares. “Due to climate changes, for example, the sea water levels are constantly rising, causing major floods that [can take] away many people’s homes.”
In addition to housing shortages caused by population growth and market challenges, the firm added, “the need for a house that is quick to distribute and easy to install — while also able to face today’s challenges in a multifunctional way — is more important than ever.”
The Lombok in Indonesia sits 60 centimeters off the ground atop a river stone foundation, which elevates the home above potential floodwaters and allows the structure to be placed on sloped terrain with ease.
Additionally, the firm claims, the shell of the structure can be built in just one week. It’s also customizable and designed to be modified to the needs of its residents, accounting for local weather patterns, cultural preferences, or family sizes.
Due to their modular nature, the Drop Pods can be established as solo homes, or they can be easily connected as home extensions or clustered together in entire neighborhoods.
“The goal,” Inspiral Architects shares, “is to provide a house that gives not only the comfort of privacy within limited space but is also user- and environmentally- friendly.”
Inside the home, the Drop Pod has an open-design plan but with cozier nooks like a mezzanine sleeping area and concealed storage options. Expansive living and dining areas, however, let in plenty of natural light, and make the snug space feel roomy.
With potential use-cases for emergency shelter or social housing programs, the Drop Pod offers more than just beauty in a small package.
“The easy-to-adapt design provides a solution for problems caused by today’s urbanization and environmental problems,” Inspiral Architects concludes.
And as housing solutions and climate-resilient architecture continue to be top of mind across the globe, prototypes like these could lead to even more Drop Pods popping up worldwide.
“This Indonesian prototype might be sitting in a tropical paradise, but its lessons could work anywhere people need homes that adapt, survive, and inspire,” Yanko Design reviews.
“It shows us that prefab doesn’t have to mean boring, and modular doesn’t have to mean one-size-fits-none.”
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Header image courtesy of Inspiral Architects
