City
Toronto-based company's prefab home goes viral
Toronto-based company Meka has scored some major media attention with a prefabricated, shipping container home that's been on display in New York's West Village. Conceived by entrepreneur Michael de Jong, local designer Jason Halter and U of T professor Christos Marcopoulos, the 320 square foot minimalist structure goes for $40,000 and is shipped to customers 95 per cent assembled.
Although a Wall Street Journal article on Meka -- which is an acronym for "modular, environmental, kinetic, assembly" -- indicates that the company had only sold about 10 homes as of a week and half ago, since then the unit has gotten air time from a wide range of major U.S. media outlets and even more attention from design-based blogs.
And why not? This thing looks slick, is made out of up to 70 per cent recycled materials, and is the first modified shipping container I've seen that I'd actually want to live in. Sure it's made in China, but according to de Jong and the designers, cheap manufacturing and shipping are central to the viability of the business model -- so no surprises there.
For more on Meka, check out this fact sheet (PDF), some good photos from local blog No Mean City, and the mock-ups below, which interestingly look like they're situated in cottage country. Hmmm...a new trend in the making?
Images from Meka's website.
Discussion
35 Comments
Sort By Oldest First / Newest First
Subscribe
but it would be interesting as a cottage community.
and yes this would be very interesting for cottages
A lot in Corktown sold recently for $200K. Plop two of these on, add $20K for foundation and install, and a $300K 800sqft house is quite an upgrade and a solid condo alternative.
I would love to see this up in cottage country especially if you tie it into an off-grid photovoltaic system.
O
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=241693&;id=510987678
Depends, in Toronto a couple hundred grand if you can find a vacant lot. However, in the outer reaches of GTA, Guelph, Barrie, Peterborough (commuting distance), 150k or so, for either a serviced urban lot or a several-acre unserviced rural lot. You'd need a well and a septic field but you could easily put it all together for the cost of a mid-level condo in Toronto.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit intrigued.
http://www.mafcohouse.com/
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=241693&;id=510987678&l=2232519626
We just need to change some of the zoning laws to make laneway development easier.
if you tossed a bunch of these into cleared areas, you would end up with a bunch of high end trailer parks everywhere in the city. very cool ideas for the rich with kids that "need" their own bunkies, or the modest who live a 300 square foot lifestyle. hey, why not just trailers?