Ecocapsule: 100% self-sufficient renewable energy home in Slovakia
- Nice Architects, slovakian firm
Slovakia has brought us another interesting and futuristic design, it’s an "Ecocapsules", designed by Bratislava-based far-sighted Architects. This miniature solar powered home has also an retractable wind-turbine and a rain water storage making this home giving you chance to live in it up to a year with no maintenance or need to have water or electric power infrastructure. This can be towed on a trailer, airlifted or fitted into a shipping container, which it means that they can be transported and used around the world.
The capsule marries form and function with stylish aesthetics. It powers itself through solar cells that cover the roof and a retractable 750W wind turbine, while the curved shape maximizes energy efficiency and allows for the collection of rainwater, which built in filters make safe for human consumption. These measures make it practical in even the most remote locations, and for ease of transport it fits within a regulation shipping container.
As for living conditions, the design maximizes the eight square meters of interior space, managing to fit in in a folding bed, workspace that doubles as a dining area, en suite bathroom, kitchenette and storage.
The Ecocapsule "is suitable for a wide range of applications", wrote the architects, where they counted things like “independent research station or a tourist lodge to an emergency housing or a humanitarian-action unit.”
Nice Architects, who have been working on the project since April, 2008, says that customised pods will be available from the end of 2016.