This Space-Age Pod Wants to Be Your New ADU, Office, or Off-Grid Micro-Home

Dwell
·2 min read

The $107K Ecocapsule is equipped for the top of a mountain or your backyard.

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Ecocapsule began in 2009 with Soňa Pohlová and Tomáš Žáček’s entry into an architecture competition for mobile, energy-efficient housing. Their submission did not win, but it garnered enough interest that the pair chose to move forward with the idea they came up with anyway. By 2017, they had shrunk the design to a quarter of its original size to create a bean-shaped living space with off-grid capabilities. Here, Soňa tells us about how the Ecocapsule works and what’s next for the company.

The Ecocapsule® is designed for anywhere. All you need to do is bring it to site, extend the wind turbine, and it does the rest. Built-in filtration system cleans water brought from a nearby source (like a lake or a stream) or harvested from rain by the unit itself.
The Ecocapsule® is designed for anywhere. All you need to do is bring it to site, extend the wind turbine, and it does the rest. Built-in filtration system cleans water brought from a nearby source (like a lake or a stream) or harvested from rain by the unit itself.

What qualities make the Ecocapsule stand apart from other prefabs?

The Ecocapsule is a smart, self-sustainable micro-unit, which utilizes solar and wind energy. It allows you to stay in remote places out of reach of infrastructure, with the luxury of a hotel room. We have engineered the product from scratch to be as self-sufficient, practical, and functional as possible. The Ecocapsule has the best possible shape for collecting rainwater and minimizing thermal losses. It’s also capable of efficient power generation (up to 1.35 kilowatts) and storage (a 9.7 kWh battery pack). In most locations these external sources of water and electricity will not be necessary—you can connect Ecocapsule to the grid as well.

Though the Ecocapsule® is designed for sites without infrastructure, it does just as well as an ADU or an at-home office.
Though the Ecocapsule® is designed for sites without infrastructure, it does just as well as an ADU or an at-home office.

What does an Ecocapsule cost and what does that pricing include?

Our first generation Ecocapsule is priced at €99,900 before taxes. All features are included except the trailer.

The interior of the Ecocapsule® comes with a kitchenette, half-bath, stowable table, and fold-out bed. The unit also features a smart home system, water boiler, and HVAC.
The interior of the Ecocapsule® comes with a kitchenette, half-bath, stowable table, and fold-out bed. The unit also features a smart home system, water boiler, and HVAC.

See the full story on Dwell.com: This Space-Age Pod Wants to Be Your New ADU, Office, or Off-Grid Micro-Home
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