An interesting house concept was presented by Marcin Panpuch at the recent Royal Institute of British Architects' Future House London Exhibition. The Exhibition showcased a range of innovative housing concepts for existing London sites. The designs emphasised social, environmental, aesthetic and structural factors in various ways.
Panpuch's house design is a relocatable sphere, which can either float on a water location or be lifted by crane and fixed to a tower beside other such spheres. The purpose of the spherical shape is to minimise the surface area of the house and thereby minimise heat loss to the environment.
The house consists of three levels: the living areas at the top, work and sleeping areas in the middle and service and storage areas at the bottom. In addition to this, the stairs, kitchen, bathroom and toilet are located in the central core of the house. This core is also the conduit for the ducts, cables and pipes.
The house is energy self-sufficient due to the production of electricity by photovoltaic solar cells. The batteries for storing this electricity are in the bottom area.
The house's water tank is also used for the storage of heat collected during the day and released into the house at night.
Such a house design has the potential to redefine the relationship between an urban location and its population, and the individual relationships between people and their houses. It would certainly give new meaning to the term moving house.