Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

You can assemble this foldable M.A.DI flatpack A-frame home in just six hours

Clayton Moore
By

Tiny homes and modular construction are all the rage these days, but one brilliant Italian architect may have created the most versatile combination of the two trends yet with the M.A.DI house. Comparable to a moveable property, these foldable modular living units are a bargain starting at about $33,000.

The hyper-deployable units arrive flatpack from the factory and require a crane and three people to pull up the pitched roof into an A-frame design. The opening and closing movement is based on technology guaranteed to hold up by special steel hinges.

Recommended Videos

M.A.DI stands for “Modulo Abitativo Dispiegabile,” which roughly translates from Italian to “unfoldable housing module.” The units are the brainchild of Italian architect Renato Vidal and are manufactured by wood specialist Area Legno in Italy. They’re built using cross laminated timber to create these modular and multi-use housing units.

“Its specificity lies in the extremely simplified deployment technique.”

Unlike other modular housing units, the M.A.DI house doesn’t require a concrete base. Any flat surface will do, meaning the design and deployment has zero environmental impacts. Its patented anchoring system has no impact on soil, and it is recoverable at 100 percent.

“Its specificity lies in the extremely simplified deployment technique,” according to the company’s website.

Once the roof has been pitched, the deployment team adds internal walls, windows and flooring, with the whole process taking six to seven hours. Water, sanitary, electrical, air conditioning, heating and drainage system are all pre-installed as well as connections for a kitchen. The system is entirely prefabricated in Italy and each element of the M.A.DI home is dry assembled and easy to put together and maintain.

The standard M.A.DI structure is classified as class B by European standards for energy consumption, but the unit can be customized to meet class A standards. This means the home can be converted to a passive house with the installation of amenities like rooftop solar panels, LED lighting, water tanks and a gray water system.

Because the construction system is both modular and foldable, the houses are customizable, expandable and transportable. The M.A.DI house is also earthquake-resistant, which means they can be deployed for affordable housing, temporary quarters for sporting and entertainment events, or medical facilities to help communities around the world recover from natural disasters.

When it’s time to move out, the structure can be disassembled and stored for future use.

“M.A.DI gives you the opportunity to have a temporary house wherever you want or a permanent house in a building area. Moreover, according to your need and your financial availability you can customize it in dimensions and materials,” according to the company’s website.

The multi-functional modular structures can also be as small or as sprawling as a customer desires. The company currently offers five models that can be interconnected as needed. The smallest is a single module that measures 27 square meters, or about 290 square feet. The double module comes in both basic and luxury versions and measures 46 square feet or roughly 500 square feet. Finally, there’s a triple module designed for families or small companies that range from 70 square meters (753 square feet) to 84 square meters (904 square feet).

Pricing ranges from $33,00 for the single module and up to $73,000 for a triple module. Other options include an additional module for $21,000 and a staircase for an extra $2700. Construction and delivery takes approximately 30 to 40 days from date of order, with a unit price around $930 per square meter. It’s unclear as of yet whether the units are subject to building permits due to their temporary characteristics.

The housing units were featured earlier this year at the Milano Design Village in Milan, Italy, and were a hit with guests as well as the international press. Attention on social media has been on par with comparable projects like Ten Fold Engineering’s folding mobile structures.

Unfortunately, the M.A.DI units are currently only available in Italy. However, architect Renato Vidal and his team have secured an international patent and hope to start selling abroad in early 2018. The company hopes to export its products from Italy to North Europe, Australia and the United States.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Clayton Moore
Clayton Moore
Contributor
Clayton Moore’s interest in technology is deeply rooted in the work of writers like Warren Ellis, Cory Doctorow and Neal…
The architects at Cover can design your pre-fab home in 3 days for $250
cover prefab homes snap together 8b

A new Los Angeles-based startup is getting into the business of prefabricated homes in a unique way by combining technology, efficiency, and a one-stop-shop approach. Cover was founded by architects Alexis Rivas and Jemuel Joseph in 2014, with an eye towards building precision-designed homes that aren’t dependent on an army of architects, engineers, and general contractors.

The company's work comes in at a time of abundance for prefab home builds, ranging from stackable shipping container homes to igloos. But the architects at Cover are convinced their approach is different from any other prefab, design-build, or engineering model that has ever existed.

Read more
Pick a spot: You can assemble this wonderful dream home anywhere
MAPA EDE Finca Aguy retreat

The budding industry of prefabricated homes has recently seen a welcome jolt of popularity, thanks to the structures' minimal impact on the environment and the fact they are just downright unique. In yet another addition to this emerging housing practice, the South American architecture studio MAPA Architects recently unveiled a perfectly simple and beautiful prefabricated home, called Retreat in Finca Aguy. Spanning just over 1,200 sq. ft., Retreat in Finca Aguy is minimalism at its best and a true testament to the advantages of prefab homes.

Tiny Home Living: Japan’s Horinouchi House makes 600 square feet seem like a bona fide mansion

Read more
Our 10 favorite Memorial Day deals (including a 50-inch TV for $198)
A collection of electronic gadgets out of their shipping boxes.

Memorial Day is upon us. As we reflect on those that have lost their lives in wars, and the ongoing conflicts around the world, we are also given a chance for a much needed break and a three-day weekend. Retailers, too, celebrate this time of year by giving us sales lasting the whole weekend. Of course, not all of these sales and deals are created equally, so we've poured through the listings and found ten that we believe are truly worth your time. They include everything from TVs to smart thermostats, so let your imagination go wild as you scroll through our 10 favorite Memorial Day deals:
Ring Video Doorbell — $70, was $100

Want to keep your home safer, communicate with outdoor strangers without opening your door, and catch high quality video footage of the outside of your home even when its dark? For only $70 you do, especially with a Ring Video Doorbell, one of our favorite smart doorbells. You can communicate with it directly via Alexa, too, as part of your smart home. This can mean speaking directly with the people outside or using a preset response built into your Ring Alarm. Or, if you don't want to be bothered — or are outside your home —  you can have your alarm take a message. The setup is relatively easy, as the machine is wireless. While this does mean that the device uses a battery, you'll find that Ring Video Doorbells have longer lasting batteries than you might've guessed.

Read more