'Cubitat' Fits Living Essentials into a 10-foot Cube

Filed under: Design, Lifestyle

A Toronto developer is thinking inside the box and has designed prefabricated cubes that contain everything you need in a home -- except the space to put it in.

Cubitat, a collaboration between developer Urban Capital of Toronto and the design firm Nichetto Studio, based in Sweden and Italy, is another entry into the "micro living" niche market where less square footage means more efficient living. Each cube is 10 feet high, 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep, and is meant to be a home you place within a home.

Each wall contains one of four fundamentals for living:

• Complete kitchen.
• Storage and laundry area.
• Bedroom with pullout bed.
• Entry to a bathroom placed within the cube.

The "plug-and-play" cube spares nothing. The kitchen has a fridge, freezer, a range with an oven, and a sink. The bathroom features a shower stall, toilet, sink and storage. And the bed pulls out from a wall unit with its headboard facing a TV so you can watch telly in bed. Everything is wired and plumbed, so buyers only need to hook up the cube to existing utilities and drains.

Cubitat, which is still only a prototype, was introduced to the world in January during the 2015 Interior Design Show in Toronto. Developers are still gauging interest -- and there has been a lot. But there still are a few details to iron out, like how to hoist or squeeze the cube into existing spaces and which permits would be needed to transport such a wide and high load. The developers may have to find a way to deliver the unit in snap-together pieces, rather than as one cube.

At the moment, Cubitat is projected to cost about $60,000.

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments