Ecocapsule by Nice Architects: sustainable tiny houses (at a price)
According to a report by Dana McCauley for News.com.au, the Ecocapsule by Nice Architects is the home for 2016.
Managing to squeeze a bedroom, kitchenette, workspace, dining room and ensuite bathroom into an egg-shaped module just 2.25 x 4.5m, the Ecocapsule concept is ultimately about compact sustainable living – a tiny house for more tomorrows.
Does the Ecocapsule represent the tiny house movement in its most idealistic and futuristic form?
Ecocapsule inhabitants can go off the grid with integrated solar panels and wind turbine, as well as a rainwater collection system.
Launched into a waiting global market with interest expressed from the likes of Hollywood star and activist Susan Sarandon, the Ecocapsule is reportedly available in Australia in the near future for around $121,000, with shipping costs to Australia expected to be a bit less than $3,000 plus road transport to the site.
The Ecocapsule website offers to take advance orders, and the company is promising to make Ecocapsules more affordable once global production and supply is in full swing. Who on Earth wouldn’t want an Ecocapsule if they could afford one? If you want to spend time in the wilderness with independence and minimal impact on the surrounding ecosystem then the Ecocapsule is for you. There could be scope for people wanting to develop ‘Ecocapsule hotels” where each guest gets the equivalent of their own high-tech, high-spec ‘bear cave’.
Spending $100K-plus on eco-friendly tiny houses might represent small change for rich celebrities and tech-moguls, but the average budget-minded person would have to think outside the box, or in this case, outside the egg, to find a more affordable solution with the same sustainable principles in mind.
Take backyard pods, for example. You can have a pre-approved, hassle-free backyard pod fully installed, including windows and doors, for under $10,000. You could spend a bit more on fitting out the interior to provide ergonomic and stylish compact living (see our backyard pod designs). With the addition of a rainwater collection tank (guttering supplied) and solar panels, you’re as ready to live ‘off the grid’ as a cashed-up Ecocapsule dweller.
And, similar to an Ecocapsule, backyard pods ‘touch the earth lightly’ – on piers rather than a concrete slab – both the Ecocapsule and backyard pod options being relocatable.
No doubt any would-be pod dweller with sufficient spare cash will be wanting to get their hands on an Ecocapsule before all their friends. Soon we may see Ecocapsules in technology company car parks and glamping grounds all over Australia.
Backyard pod owners still have plenty to feel smug about, however. Not only can they enjoy all the sustainability features and stylish amenities offered by an Ecocapsule at a small fraction of the price, but they also have room to move – and even entertain a few friends at once – inside their backyard pod.
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