House Arc – A Prefab, Modular, Off-Grid Tiny House

House Arc is an innovative prefab modular house design by Bellomo Architects. The structure can be prefabricated and flat-packed into a box that’s just 4-by-3-by-10 foot. It’s compact size and weight (3000 lbs) means it can easily be shipped to the customer’s site.

House Arc is designed for a mixture of environmental settings, including tropical weather and plain ol’ nasty storms. The house drew inspiration for its form from the eggshell, because, according to the architects “you only need the minimal amount of structure and still have something that is incredibly strong.”

The house’s frame is made with lightweight steel angles and tubular members. The entire home is able to be supported by a simple block foundation due its weight. According to Joseph Bellomo, the house is designed to “function like a kit of parts so that it could be assembled quickly—like prefab furniture”.

Bellomo intends for the house to act as an off-grid living solution, and so, House Arc comes with the option of solar panels that can be mounted onto the roof. Also, because it’s raised off the ground level air is able to flow underneath, promoting passive cooling. The large windows (relative to its size) provide plenty of natural ventilation and day lighting, while the roof mounted trellis shades the interior to prevent overheating.

While not originally designed as a disaster relief shelter, Bellomo believes the design has some potential to function as a form of temporary shelter, “We’re going for a kit of parts that the average person can assemble quickly–like an IKEA house, only easier to put together.”

According to Inhabit the Arc House is available online for purchase and can be shipped to any location, although I didn’t see any mention of it on the architect’s website.

For more modular houses check out the HiveHaus, a modern home that adapts to your needs through its hexagonal pods. Or the stunning Moon River prefab luxury house by the Hangar Design Group. See all modular houses. See all prefab houses.

Via Inhabitat
Photos: Bellomo Architects