Furniture giant IKEA collaborated with Vox Creative and tiny home builder Escape to produce a tiny house on wheels that could inspire environmental- and climate-friendly changes in the housing industry. According to IKEA, the project’s goal is to prove “that anyone, anywhere can live a more sustainable life,” reported Green Matters. As such, the model IKEA Tiny Home Project was created with that purpose in mind.
The entire trailer unit is a 187-square-foot model filled with IKEA furniture, topped with roof solar panels and stocked with an on-demand RV water heater, Dwell reported. According to NBC, it runs on electric and allows for off-the-grid living. The tiny building also emits zero pollution, including carbon. In fact, the only emissions come from the trailer being towed. Manufactured structures are usually less wasteful than on-site constructions, according to Pebble Magazine. The interior’s whitewashed panels are made from sustainably grown pine, reported Travel + Leisure, while the kitchen cupboards are made from recycled bottle tops. There is also a compostable toilet and a collapsible desk/kitchen table, Lonely Planet shared.
Abbey Stark, IKEA senior interior design leader, told Lonely Planet that she prioritized renewable, reusable and recycled materials to make the space “functional as well as beautiful.” Stark designed the space as an IKEA show home with sustainable, multifunctional, space-saving and energy-efficient products, Lonely Planet reported. The entire build took less than 60 days to complete and models start at $47,550, Travel + Leisure reported. Curbed created a virtual tour showcasing the eco-conscious and stylish elements.
Some skeptics note that smaller houses won’t tackle the biggest climate threat from construction: concrete. The very qualities that make concrete a desirable construction material (non-modular form; low-labor requirements; capacity to be shaped) make it non-reusable and unsustainable, NBC reported. While projects like the tiny house might use more renewable materials, large structures like bridges, ports, roads and factories still use concrete.
Source: EcoWatch
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