http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/design-architecture/first-1k-house-prototype-built-in-china/692?tag=nl.e660The first prototype to emerge from the 1K House studio at MIT is a modular home constructed in the Sichuan Province of China. The Pinwheel House features standardized construction and assembly to build basic, affordable housing in rural areas of developing countries.
The project was designed by Ying Chee Chui, a New York architect and 2011 graduate of MIT’s Department of Architecture. Originally designed to be constructed with solid earth block wall and bamboo, the prototype features an earthquake resistant structure made of reinforced brick walls and wooden box beams.
The 800 square foot Pinwheel House is made of four room modules around a central courtyard. The modules and the courtyard can be reorganized within a nine square grid to create different configurations and layouts.
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The designs and research in the original 1K House studio were based on affordability, livability, and sustainability. The studio researched and developed design innovations that reduce wasteful construction practices while creating structures that met or exceeded basic requirements for safety, sanitation, and comfort.
No plumbing or electricity, but hey, $4K for a 2400 sq ft house? So, aside from land and the plumbing/power and maybe some upgrades, a house for $15K?
Not bad. And what we should be building in this country.