Architecture

Kitted out modular house can unfold in eight minutes

Kitted out modular house can unfold in eight minutes
The unfolded Tree House
The unfolded Tree House
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The unit can be transported on a standard truck
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The unit can be transported on a standard truck
The unfolding process
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The unfolding process
A solar power system can be easily incorporated into the unit
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A solar power system can be easily incorporated into the unit
The standard unit unfolded
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The standard unit unfolded
Once open and stabilized the truck pulls away
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Once open and stabilized the truck pulls away
The internal layout of the unit can be easily adapted to an owner's needs
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The internal layout of the unit can be easily adapted to an owner's needs
The system can be used as an open plan office
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The system can be used as an open plan office
For all your mobile office needs
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For all your mobile office needs
Each unit is modular and stackable
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Each unit is modular and stackable
Two bedrooms / one living area
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Two bedrooms / one living area
So large-scale unit blocks can be constructed
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So large-scale unit blocks can be constructed
A second level can be added to the original unit
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A second level can be added to the original unit
A four bed unit layout
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A four bed unit layout
The company demonstrate the system can be used to construct a hotel-scale building
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The company demonstrate the system can be used to construct a hotel-scale building
An example of the unit being used for temporary industrial purposes
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An example of the unit being used for temporary industrial purposes
One of the more experimental wing-based design options on offer
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One of the more experimental wing-based design options on offer
Temporary building site offices
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Temporary building site offices
The system can be easily raised above ground level
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The system can be easily raised above ground level
A approachable spin on the design
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A approachable spin on the design
The wing-based experimental design
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The wing-based experimental design
Moot Hall is one of the more interesting concept designs
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Moot Hall is one of the more interesting concept designs
This concept design expands to a stylish open-plan house
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This concept design expands to a stylish open-plan house
The Tree House folding up
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The Tree House folding up
The Tree House design fits inside a small cube
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The Tree House design fits inside a small cube
Resulting in a large, open-plan structure
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Resulting in a large, open-plan structure
Another look at the stackable hotel concept
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Another look at the stackable hotel concept
The unfolded Tree House
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The unfolded Tree House
The unfolded Tree House
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The unfolded Tree House
The system is proposed for rapid relief structures in times of crisis
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The system is proposed for rapid relief structures in times of crisis
The house concept
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The house concept
The house concept
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The house concept
These small medical assist units can be sent to crisis zones
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These small medical assist units can be sent to crisis zones
The concept unfolds into a tent-like A-frame
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The concept unfolds into a tent-like A-frame
Wings on either side unfold
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Wings on either side unfold 
View gallery - 34 images

So you've found a nice piece of land and are ready to embark upon the dream of building your own home. Instead of spending the next few years dealing with the stress of managing a horde of builders, imagine if a truck could just roll up, and with the press of a button unfold your dream house in less than ten minutes. UK-based company Ten Fold Engineering has developed a series of modular, self-deploying structures that can be instantly unfolded without the need for builders, cranes or foundations.

The core structure underlying all Ten Fold systems is a unit that can be easily delivered to any location on a truck. Upon delivery the unit unfolds to three times its transport size, after which the unit is immediately ready to live in, with all internal fittings and fixtures already pre-installed. The system is also reversible, meaning it can be just as quickly refolded and moved to a new location.

The unit can be transported on a standard truck
The unit can be transported on a standard truck

The unfolding process
The unfolding process

The internal layout of an individual unit is completely interchangeable via a series of folding partitions, letting the homeowner design a floor plan and room combination to meet their needs. The units can also be pre-fitted with an assortment of modular pods allowing for off-grid power systems, batteries or water-treatment systems.

Two bedrooms / one living area
Two bedrooms / one living area

Perhaps most interesting is the scalability of the system, with units able to be interlinked or stacked in a variety of combinations to make larger houses or even a hotel-style building.

The company demonstrate the system can be used to construct a hotel-scale building
The company demonstrate the system can be used to construct a hotel-scale building

As well as the standard rectangular pod-based unit, Ten Fold has designed a series of customized fold-out accommodations to suit those with more idiosyncratic architectural inclinations. A unit dubbed the "Tree House" expands from a cube to reveal a winged floating tree house, while "Moot Hall" looks like a giant A-frame tent.

TEN FOLD Tree House

Most of the current Ten Fold designs are still conceptual, with the company looking primarily to commodify the unfolding technology it has developed. It is currently calling out to all architects, engineers and manufacturer interested in deploying the technology, offering the intellectual property for a license fee.

The core unfolding unit has been prototyped though, and the company demonstrates it unfolding in the video below. This core unit looks to be moving towards production, and the website estimates a single unit to have a starting price of £100,000 (US$130,000), that's before the cost of extra components such as those that would assist off-grid living.

Moot Hall is one of the more interesting concept designs
Moot Hall is one of the more interesting concept designs

The concept unfolds into a tent-like A-frame
The concept unfolds into a tent-like A-frame

The company hopes that the cost of producing components will fall so that in the future the system could make for affordable housing, or cheap rapid response structures in times of crisis.

Take a look at the unfolding prototype in the video below.

Source: Ten Fold Engineering

View gallery - 34 images
4 comments
4 comments
Helios
Rube Goldberg would be so proud. A yurt for the 21st Century I suppose. This concept is actually worse than the tiny houses that are so frequently featured on New Atlas. It is overly complex, expensive and a solution looking for a problem. I can imagine a scenario though... a billionaire offloading this by helicopter from a multimillion dollar yacht onto a deserted island to play Robinson Crusoe for the weekend.
Dan Lewis
It doesn't look like a place one would want to set up in windy areas.
sunfly
I have sketched similar designs for a camper but never could get them to quite work. 90% of a camper is air. Make a smaller lighter version of this I can haul to the lake!
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is so cool. I think it has a lot potential.