The Biocabin

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The Biocabin

Firm

Wild Design Studio Lab

Type

Residential › Multi Unit Housing

STATUS

Concept

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$100K - 500K

In W-LAB we are raising funds to get the first community of prefabricated Biocabins, built with low-carbon organic materials, 100% recyclable or compostable, that could be self-sustained and Climate Change ready. Our main goal is to be able to build the first prototype of a prefabricated fully functional cabin that can ensure comfort in a warm climate with passive solutions. Global warming seems it’s rising and won’t stop, unless we change drastically the way we are living, and designing buildings.

One of the primary aspects of this project is the usage of low embodied carbon construction materials, so we can contribute to a more responsible architecture, with less footprint. Thinking of an extreme warm climate like the one we could have in a post Climate Change age, we should consider different species of plants that can provide wood and be grown in dry hot climates to provide options for the structures and cladding, to be more sustainable.
The shape and the arrangement were conceived, based on controlling environmental factors, like solar exposure and wind. The use of environmental simulations tools was key, to engineer shapes, and study its performance, thus guiding the design process. The main question was “what is the shape we need to generate, to have a low embodied carbon habitat unit, that can work in extreme climate, ensuring comfort?” Industries like automobile and aviation shape their products to achieve high performance designs. Each element is engineered to get high performance, allowing them to consume less energy, while traveling faster, focusing on comfort, security and efficiency with a modern design look. We think architecture should follow the same process and target similar goals. The Biocabin project is an exercise to propose a catalogue of solutions that nowadays are already in the market and could be easily found. This prototype settlement has been conceived to have all the necessary equipment to make its users less dependent on grids and energy from fossil fuels. Spaces for home grown vegetables, renewable energy systems, waste treatment, water recycling and reutilization, are included and planned to be integrated with the architecture. At the same time other elements are also discussed on the project, for passive indoor and outdoor comfort based on evaporative cooling, and systems from capturing water directly from the air or desalinated, for human consumption.
On the whole this concept aims to be a stepping stone for achieving low carbon buildings, showcasing solutions and ideas that are feasible and already available, to help small communities on becoming less dependent from general grids, towards a new model of decentralization of basic resources production. We hope this project can inspire other designers to follow the same thinking, to redefine the future generation of green buildings, thus contributing to lowering the carbon emissions responsible for Global Warming and Climate Change.

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The Biocabin

The Biocabin

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team