These Mobile Prefab Domes Are Inspired by Camping
At Slovenian builder Smartdome Constructions, the Retro Futurism of the ’60s has finally come to the Tiny House Movement with their new 85-square-foot prefab and mobile geodesic domes.
Eastern European architects and designers, in particular, really seem to be loving homes that look like they belong on the set of a sci-fi space opera and are kitted out in the latest environmentally friendly technology available here and now.
Smartdome joins fellow modern, spherical structures from nearby neighbors like Slovakia’s EcoCapsule, Lithuania’s Barrel Houses by Do Architects, and Russia’s Skydome in envisioning a futuristic landscape where our planetary domiciles resemble actual planets.
Željko Hočevar of Smartdome recently told Inhabitat that his prefab kits, however, are “the first printed dodecahedron structure in the world.” The modules are constructed from galvanized steel and a laminated and moisture-resistant timber framework sealed with UV-resistant rubber gaskets. Buyers can choose between transparent modules with two or three-layer thermoformed polycarbonate or opaque versions filled with mineral wool or space-tech foil. Four models are currently available, designed for various landscapes: SkyDome, AquaDome, TreeDome, and SnowDome. Each Smartdome home is designed, engineered, and manufactured in Slovenia, and costs about $22,500.
Something of a hybrid of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome, Marri Suuronen’s Futuro House, and the haunted futuristic resort at Sanzhi, smartdomes are modular by design to replace tents and campers and get stressed-out urban escapees closer to nature. More high-end cabin or she-shed than actual home, smartdomes come sans indoor plumbing (so no bathroom or kitchen) and are designed to blend in with their environment, even in remote areas.
According to the website, “The concept was born out of problems and needs of campers. Our main occupation is putting up buildings in degraded areas, while taking into account their multi-functionality, mobility, and modulation. …Our aim is to develop new method of living in the country, combining technical efficiency with careful treatment of resources and nature alike.”
h/t Inhabitat