Pininfarina is best known for its work in the automotive industry, though has also dabbled in bikes, yachts, and more. The prestigious design house now plans to use its considerable expertise to create a luxurious wellness retreat and residential community among the lush landscape of the Mexican jungle
Tiny houses are big business—or might be. As the housing crisis in the United States worsens, several new prefab companies compete to deliver the most effective dwelling option for the largest range of circumstances. Some are intended to be added to backyards to boost density, while others are intended to survive fires and hurricane-force winds in disaster-prone places. However, one new Los Angeles startup offers a different approach—a folding tiny home that can be transferred indefinitely to provide refuge to communities in need.
“Most of today’s housing solutions are designed to sit on a concrete foundation for decades and never move again,” claims Scott Kevern, who founded Vika Living in September 2021 with Jeff Howard. “We’re focused on the underserved niche of flexible housing, building small living spaces that can be transported efficiently and deployed again and again.”
The Vika One, the first offering from Howard and Kevern’s business, has just been released to address what they see as a need in the tiny home market. The 144-square-foot open-plan foldable prefab—vika is Swedish for fold—has a living area, a bed that can be used as seating, and a table that can be folded into the wall. Bathroom and kitchen facilities complete the programme.
Impressively, everything can be folded up into a small four by twelve foot package for transit. This includes all the furniture, fixtures, and fittings. The Vika One company’s time and money-saving method for shipping and assembling a large number of homes is the ability to accommodate up to six folded Vika One homes on a typical flatbed trailer.
In the company’s L.A. plant, each Vika One unit is completely constructed before being folded, loaded onto a truck, and delivered to its location. According to Vika Living, the process of forklifting off and unfolding the unit takes less than two hours, including setting up the on-site utilities.
Of course, achieving these lofty objectives will greatly depend on pricing per unit. For a conventional home, prospective purchasers should budget $38,000, while upgraded models—which may include off-grid features like solar panels and batteries—will sell for up to $46,000 before the cost of delivery.
