Italianarchitect Renato Vidal has created a prefabricated foldable housethat takes less than a day to install once on site. The M.A.Di homeis an economic flat-packed housing solution that is not onlysustainable, but designed to last and withstandearthquakes. Manufactured by wood specialist Area Legno in Italy, theM.A.Di home is built using CLT (crosslaminated timber) to create a modular and multi-functionalanti-seismic family home.
TheM.A.Di home comes in several sizes, including a 27-sq m (290-sq ft) tinyhouse; 46-sq m (495-sq ft) or 56-sq m (603-sq ft) double home and a 70-sq m(753-sq ft) or 84-sq m (904-sq ft) triple family house. Each homestretches over two levels and comes equipped with a kitchen, diningarea and bathroom located on the ground floor, while the bedroom/s are locatedon the upper floor. The building's A frame structure and uniquefolding ability allows the home to be prefabricated off site,flat-packed and transported via truck or container to its designated build site.
"Thanksto the home's steel profile and steel hinges we can open and closethis module with ease," Domenico Antonuccifrom Area Legno tells New Atlas."When the module is closed and folded for transportation thepacked height measures 1.5 m (4.9 ft), and then when it is opened onsite, it has a height of 6.5 m (21.3 ft)."
EachM.A.Di module features galvanized steel frames suitably proportionedto support the home's opening and closing movement. Polyurethane foamis used to waterproof the home while also contributing to its thermalinsulation. The walls are also insulated with high-density rockwool andthe window frames can be installed in PVC or aluminum.
Once on sitethe installation of the home is relatively simple, as each moduleunfolds up and out. Finishes such as roof pitches, interior flooring,internal and exterior walls come on mounting boards for simpleassembly. The entire process should take three workers six to sevenhours to complete.
TheM.A.Di home can be installed as a temporary or permanent structureand does not necessarily need any foundations at ground level,allowing the structure to have zero impact on the landscape. The homeis anchored down using an innovative screw pile system, which has noimpact on the soil and can leave the land without a footprint.Alternatively, the home can be built on top of a reinforced concretefoundation.
If desired, the home can be packed away and stored in awarehouse for future uses. As the home is built using modules, ownershave the option to extend in the future by adjoining additionalmodules to their existing M.A.Di home.
"M.A.DI.gives you the opportunity to have a temporary house wherever you wantor a permanent house in a building area," says M.A.Di. "Moreover, according to your need and your financialavailability you can customize it in dimensions and materials. AM.A.Di construction is ready to live in and is delivered withelectrical system, plumbing and sanitary water system,heating/cooling system (air conditioning) and PVC frames."
Thestandard M.A.Di structure is considered class B (European standard)for energy consumption, but can be customized to meet class A and A++.This includes the possibility of making it a passive house. The homecan easily be installed with rooftop solar panels, LED lighting,water tanks and a gray water system.
AM.A.Di home will take approximately 30-40 days to complete from dateof order, with an all inclusive unit price around €800(US$933) per square meter. Therefore, the basic M.A.Di homes are priced approximately between €21,600 (US$25,195) for the tiny module and €67,200(US$73,385) for the biggest module. The home is then flat-packed andtransported by truck or container, and can be delivered outside ofItaly.
"Wehave a patent registered all over the world and we will start tosell the M.A.Di house in about two months," says Antonucci. "Wewould like to export out of Italy and we are looking forpartnerships, investor and buyers. I hope to sell it out of Italy,North Europe, USA and Australia."