Tiny Houses

WWII airplane inspires extraordinary off-grid tiny house

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The Monocoque Cabin's unusual design is inspired by a British WWII-era airplane
Peter Markos
The Monocoque Cabin's unusual design is inspired by a British WWII-era airplane
Peter Markos
The Monocoque Cabin comes in an off-the-grid version for installation in rural areas
Peter Markos
The Monocoque Cabin's interior features a utilitarian plywood interior finish, with polycarbonate windows
Peter Markos
The Monocoque Cabin's features a timber structure and its curving exterior is finished in cedar shingles
Peter Markos
The Monocoque Cabin's features generous glazing throughout, helping fill the interior with natural light
Peter Markos
The Monocoque Cabin's interior measures roughly 23 sq m (almost 250 sq ft), and its layout can be altered to suit
Efe Onikinci
Visitors to the Monocoque Cabin enter into a main living area, which features a basic kitchen and seating
Efe Onikinci
The Monocoque Cabin was created following Airbnb's 2022 OMG! Fund to find crazy home ideas
Efe Onikinci
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Tiny houses come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but this is the first example we've seen that's modeled after a World War II airplane. Named the Monocoque Cabin, the unusual dwelling is defined by an eye-catching curving exterior and comes with lots of options, including its interior layout and the ability to run off-the-grid.

The Monocoque Cabin came about following Airbnb's 2022 OMG! Fund to find crazy home ideas. British architect Peter Markos entered the competition and was declared one of the winners, receiving US$100,000 prize money. This was sufficient for Markos to found his own studio and to develop his vision for an airplane-inspired tiny house, in collaboration with prefab specialists BlokBuild and engineers Price & Myers.

"The concept of the Monocoque Cabin originated from a fascination with aerospace and automotive construction techniques known for their efficient use of materials," explains Markos. "This led to the question: Why not integrate such methods into the built environment? Monocoques are structural systems in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, creating a stiff, strong, light structure similar to an 'eggshell'. These are structures often used in aerospace and automotive design.

"The Monocoque Cabin takes inspiration from the WWII de Havilland Mosquito monocoque structure. These fighter planes are the most outstanding examples of monocoque structures. The Monocoque Cabin is made from various timber materials, carefully chosen to connect with its rural setting. The materials age gracefully and gray over time, after years, you find yourself with a more beautiful structure than the one that was first made."

The Monocoque Cabin was created following Airbnb's 2022 OMG! Fund to find crazy home ideas
Efe Onikinci

While it doesn't show plane-based inspiration as clearly as the Aero Tiny, the Monocoque Cabin is a definite change from the typical cottage-like tiny house. It has a length of 9 m (almost 30 ft) and a width of 3.3 m (roughly 11 ft), and is finished in a curving exterior of cedar shingles. It's not based on wheels like a traditional tiny house, though Markos says it's designed to be easy to disassemble and relocate within a few days.

The home is accessed by some steps and a deck area, which opens onto a shared living room and kitchen. This includes a sofa, a breakfast bar and a basic kitchen unit with a sink, shelving and space for a portable stove and small fridge.

The main living area connects to a bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet. At the end farthest away from the entrance is a relatively spacious-looking bedroom with a double bed and generous glazing.

The decor throughout the tiny house is very utilitarian with its mixture of plywood and polycarbonate (plus a few glass) windows, along with simple wooden furniture, however the Monocoque Cabin has lots of different options available and its layout and furniture can be chosen to suit.

The Monocoque Cabin's interior measures roughly 23 sq m (almost 250 sq ft), and its layout can be altered to suit
Efe Onikinci

The tiny house can also be sold as either a basic shell or turnkey model, and it can optionally run fully off-the-grid with solar panels and a rainwater capture system. We've no word on the pricing for this one but those interested can get in touch with the studio directly.

Source: Markos Design Workshop

View gallery - 8 images
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2 comments
BlueOak
Very cool. I’ve had a similar construction, much smaller, single person sleeping cabin in drawings for several years… for our rural off grid vacation property. Although the inspiration/motivation was wood boat-building construction and prefabricating the components so they could more easily be transported to the site using a minivan. And the shape is less organic, more conventional.
BlueOak
Like so many architects, he appears to be a bit arrogant about who is worthy of his projects - “We prioritize sites that offer natural beauty and harmony, ensuring the cabin blends with its surrounding landscape.”