Prefabrication experiments - 191 - current practices - 02 - small houses by Koda

Every generation of architects seems to develop a fascination with modular, moveable and minimal dwellings. Addressing functionally, flexibility and adaptability with limited space, architects have used and continue to use the small house as a platform for experimentation. Perhaps it's the potential to control every aspect of design and production or the capacity to optimize and define every square-mm, the tiny house sector has certainly led to a wealth of designs, possibilities and approaches. The ability to live well in a small efficient space also aims to counteract the increasing environmental footprints associated with traditional construction. In a tiny house, smallness is large and showcasing innovative multifunctional furnishings outlines an instruction manual for living simply. The tiny house can be a perfect «oeuvre complète - complete work» relating architecture, interior design and industrial design with production, marketing and commercialization, a type of inhabitable commodity. 

Developed in Estonia by company founders Hannes Tamjärv and Ülar Mark as a way to reduce energy consumption and derived from a dwelling's most basic functions, Koda is a series of small / micro dwellings that are completely factory produced, transported by truck and positioned on-site by crane. The integrated leveling system allows owners to move their house to any site. Available in different sizes, materials (concrete and timber) and configurations, the Koda could also be affixed to a floating structure and used as a type of houseboat. Approximately 4m wide x 7m long x 4m high the house’s organisation is based on a completely glazed front wall which leads to a simple two-zoned plan: a living space adjacent to the glazed wall and a service core comprised of a bathroom, a small kitchen and a mezzanine sleeping space. Inspired by nautical design, the house seems as at home on land as on the water. Connected to the infrastructure grid in just a few hours, the cross laminated timber container like structure is intended to be delivered and positioned in place without any foundations and uses its weight as a tie down. The front sled like lip detail makes it possible to imagine this small home quickly sliding right into any infill space.

transportation and interior view of the Koda house