Gallery: PREFAB FRIDAYS: M-VIRONMENTS

Michael Jantzen’s work transcends modern design. A m-lange of space-age sculpture and tinker-toy experiment, Jantzen’s buildings and houses span a vast range of functions and architectural styles. Just about everything he’s done is worth a long look (and a childlike fantasy), but we’re most excited about his M-house, a modular house comprised of flexible parts that connect to a matrix of modular supports. Like a toy house, these parts can be disassembled and rearranged at will, allowing the home to adjust with changing needs.

The skeletal structure of the M-house is a grid frame of seven interlocking cubes. Rectangular panels made of steel frames with thin concrete composite sheets attach on hinges to the central grid. These panels can be used to completely enclose a room, accommodating insulation and sealing in heating and cooling. Others can be freely moveable for use as sunshades and rain shelters. Still other panels can be installed on the interior in varying sizes, creating fold-out seating, desks, dining areas and sleeping platforms.

The M-house is designed to be stable without a foundation, which makes it suitable in various terrains and climates; and can be entirely energy independent, with appropriate space for solar panels and wind-energy generation. Because of its extreme flexibility, an M-House could be used for almost any purpose: outdoor playspace, freestanding office, family home, vacation retreat, or, as Jantzen himself suggests, a multi-unit high-tech resort.

The M-House is currently available for sale. If you’ve always dreamed of having a life-sized modern toy house, this may be it.

+ Michael Jantzen’s website