Here is a creative approach to compact living from Ecuadorian architects Juan Ruiz and Amelia Tapia. The Iwi, a building with a concertina-like shape that allows it to be folded in and stored away when not in use, may work well as a home office or guest room for folks with a restricted amount of space.
The Iwi was produced using a CNC milling machine and is constructed of cypress and plywood. It has glass double doors that open up to the outdoors, cork and sheep’s wool for insulation, and glass double doors that open up to the interior. Since that Tapia is genuinely working on the development of Cabin Anna, it makes reasonable that the design has a slight Cabin Anna influence.
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It has a maximum size of 8.5 square meters (about 91 square feet) when fully extended, but it may be folded up to a smaller size of 2.4 square meters (nearly 26 square feet), or set halfway if the owner likes. As the upper frame is supported by wheels, it should close with minimum effort.
This particular prototype model is situated as a two-person office on a rooftop terrace in Quito. There are two chairs, a desk area, drawers, a shelf, and a tiny cooking area with a concealed sink. There is also enough for a printer. It includes water and electrical hookups as well, although the team claims that an off-the-grid configuration is also viable.
As to how the the structure copes with the elements, the company told us that “for now Iwi works perfectly for mild weather conditions, like in Quito, Ecuador, with temperatura variations between 10 and 25 °C. Its envelope is weather resistant (rain, wind and sun). We are working on an Iwi for extreme weather and hope to launch it this year.”
Pricing starts at just US$7,950, though we’ve no information on shipping availability or costs.
