Dutch construction firm Heijmans recently took the wraps off a new prototype prefabricated house that it plans to install in underused city areas and rent out to single young professionals as a starter home. The Heijmans ONE is currently being tested with a view to launch in 2015.
Heijmans intends to situate ONE developments primarily in derelict city plots owned by the firm, the local council, or other developers. It will be available for rent at around €700 (US$852) per month, which Heijmans says is comparable to a small apartment in cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
"Heijmans ONE serves the generation that falls between two stools," explains the company. "Who? The well-educated: between 25 and 35 years old, first job, single, the world at their feet."
The two-story home is designed by Dutch architects MoodBuilders and is built primarily from wood, measuring 9.2 x 3.5 m (30 x 11.5 ft) and rising to a height of 5.9 m (19.3 ft). The partly open-plan ground floor includes a kitchen, bathroom, and lounge area. A bedroom and small desk area is located in the mezzanine upstairs, and the home also features a small outdoor patio area.
The Heijmans ONE is transported by truck, and on-site installation takes just a day. Though the home's roof-based solar array currently serves only to offset some of the costs of its grid-connected electricity needs, a Heijmans rep informed Gizmag that it's working on making the homes completely self-sufficient, energy-wise.
There are currently two trial ONE homes being tested, one of which has a full-time occupant. Once testing is completed in March 2015, the Heijmans team will further develop the concept for market, with the aim of launching the first 30 rental units later in the year.
The video below includes some more information on the project.
Sources: Heijmans, MoodBuilders
