British architectural studio Horden Cherry Lee has installed its sixteenth Micro-Compact Home overlooking Lake Maggiore in Switzerland. The micro-dwelling was flown in by helicopter last month to accommodate the owner’s last minute visiting guests and was fully installed in just 4 minutes and 9 seconds.
The short installation time was helped by the fact that the land was already prepared with four small foundation pads, water access, waste and electricity.
The 2.6 meter (8.53 ft) wide cube home weighs only 1.8 short tons (1.6 metric tons), due to its light-weight aluminum frame and boasts an estimated energy consumption of 4-5 kWh per day. The guest home features an adjustable double bed, living/dining space that can accommodate up to eight guests, toilet, shower, kitchenette, air conditioning and LED lighting.
Horden Cherry Lee architects came up with the original Micro Compact home prototype back in 2005, which was constructed using a wooden frame and based on traditional Japanese tea-houses. Since then the model has been modified to include a lightweight structure, optional roof photovoltaic solar panels that are combined with a small diameter vertical axis wind generator, long duration LED lighting and external walkways.
Sources: Horden Cherry Lee, Micro Compact Home via Dezeen