Can you imagine living in an isolated place but protected by nature? This is precisely what the Nordic people learned to do and is reflected in their constructions, which are marked by materials such as wood and enviable thermal insulation. The good news is that you can have everything in this prefab house that will make you feel like you are in Norway: it is self-sufficient and has transparent walls.
Could this be the perfect prefab house to live in? Maybe that’s the case
Ample Design Studio presents the Friends lab house – an incredibly modular, autonomous, prefabricated dwelling. This smart home can supply its energy and recycle its waste, forming part of a modern architectural design with solar panels, rainwater collection, and waste recycling.
One of the first features that can be distinguished in Friends Lab House is the presence of walls made of transparent glass, which blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor environments. As for the house’s structure, this prefab house is focused on ecology.
The interior is opened and minimally decorated with big windows for better air circulation and lighting. The Internet of Things involves the use of technology, which allows the automatic control of functions within the house, such as lighting and heating, while also monitoring the security of the premises.
Why is this house self-sufficient? New technology to develop eco-friendly homes
The Friends Lab House is designed to not rely on a connection to electricity and water supplies. This ensures that the house can function without leveraging any external services. The house is slated with high-efficiency photovoltaic solar panels capable of producing all the energy necessary.
The batteries installed in the house as integrated structures can store excess solar energy for a local power supply emergency. This solar system implies the house will not have to use any power from the general electricity grid.
Apart from solar power, the Friends Lab House can collect rainwater that is filtered and then pumped into a storage tank. This rainwater can then be used for all domestic water applications, from showering to washing and also for flushing toilets.
Certain specific fittings will enable the rainwater system to operate effectively simultaneously using normal water pressure and flow. Any additional rainwater is diverted towards the gardens and landscaping of the house.
The most memorable thing is in the walls: the detail that makes this prefab house so futuristic.
The first notable element of the Friends Lab House is its transparent walls that go up to the ceiling. This is achieved by installing floor-to-ceiling glass panels that give people a clear view of the surrounding landscape and thereby eliminate the boundary between a structure and nature.
The architects planned the house so that occupants could have a full view of nature in each room. The glazed walls eliminate the notion of an interior and an exterior, creating an interior outside. Throughout the day, sufficient light streams into the interior areas through the see-through walls.
The use of walls makes the home interior seem larger due to the openness and visibility of a considerable area from one place. Views from within reveal that the perception of space does not end at the physical boundaries of the structure.
It is hard to believe that a Nordic prefab house like this one has not yet been a sales success, at least in the American market. However, other models are becoming popular by resorting to the same style, and northern European countries have been pioneers in thermal insulation and modular construction, something that we like more and more. There must be a reason for this.
