3D printing is rapidly changing architecture - and some think the technology could lead to a second Industrial Revolution. To prepare 3M futureLAB architecture students for the future of 3D printing, architect and professor Peter Ebner challenged the interdisciplinary studio to build a tiny, easily transportable 3D printed apartment. Completed last fall, the full-scale mobile prototype measures approximately 50 square feet and was built to match the active and nomadic lifestyle of young adults.
3M futureLAB is a UCLA Architecture and Urban Design traveling studio based in Munich, Germany. Last year, the graduate students of 3M teamed up with other students from Germany and England to explore the topic of Small Transportable Living. As a response to growing demographic trends towards denser urban living, the students created a cost effective, compact home that maximized spatial efficiency.
Related: Renzo Piano’s Tiny Diogene Hut is an Off-Grid Shelter for One Person
The Small Transportable Living house draws inspiration from micro housing precedents including Renzo Piano’s Diogene and the M-ch, a joint venture between Richard Horden and the Munich Technical Institute. The 3M futureLAB students took their design one step further, however, by offering an integrated multimedia experience in addition to the essential bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom spaces.
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The “dome” shape of the house allowed for easy integration of moveable furniture, from a hidden “folding” toilet to the moveable kitchen countertop. The elevated bedroom is accessed via a foldaway ladder where an Oculus window provides the main source of light and fresh air. A projection screen takes up the majority of the space opposite the bedroom.
Via Interiorholic
Images via UCLA AUD, Florian Holzherr
