This ominous-looking structure could make it way easier to set up your truly private homestead in the middle of nowhere.
Taking up just 75 sq ft (6.96 sq m), the Klumpen is a self-contained "off-grid utility core" that adds water, power, mobile connectivity, and a toilet and mini kitchen to your remote cabin, without the headache of putting it all together and bringing it up to code yourself.
The 15-ft (4,850 mm to be precise)-tall Klumpen includes a 7.5-kWh battery, solar panels, and an inverter to power 230-V appliances (like a toaster, dishwasher, and washer) and wall outlets. There's also a heat pump for cooling and heating, and a satellite broadband receiver and cell phone antenna.
A fresh-water tank, recycling system, and pump for water pressure are integrated into the system, along with a lavatory. There's also a compact shower with a hot water connection, and a kitchen sink – along with two stoves and a microwave oven.
Piping, drainage, and cables are all set up and ready to go. The whole thing will fit on a tiny plot alongside your cabin, and the team behind it says all of the Klumpen's utilities can be up and running in just 24 hours.
The Klumpen was conceptualized by Stockholm, Sweden-based architects Ebba Hallin and Pelle Backman. They note that this will be factory-produced to keep costs low, and to make it available at US$35,000 apiece. Shipping in the EU will set you back by an additional $3,000.
That's not cheap on the face of it, but it sure could work out a lot easier and simpler than bringing out a licensed electrician, plumber, and contractor to get all of the aforementioned systems set up. I'm no expert, but I imagine you'll also need to secure permits for them; having everything built to code right out of the box could make that go quicker too.
If you need something more rugged, there's an 'extreme-conditions edition' made of aluminum that's suitable for "volcanoes, glaciers, and Norwegian gardens" and priced at $198,000.
If that sounds like what you need to get out of the city and off the grid, you can reserve a Klumpen with a €2,000 ($2,300) fee. The first batch is expected to ship in September.
Source: Klumpen
