This lovely prefabricated LoftCube home is perched on a pretty piece of land just north of Beirut in Lebanon
Nearly a decade ago Werner Aisslinger aspired to design a temporary, minimalist domicile that would suit the nomadic lifestyle while still retaining all of the aesthetics that contemporary society seeks. Voila! the 420 square foot LoftCube was born. Since 2004, the ultimate home for nomads has popped up in gardens and on rooftops all over the world: in Spain, Belgium, Canada, and now in Lebanon. Mark Doumet’s sleek home has 360 degree views of the Mediterranean Sea and is installed just a short ride north of Beirut. And as the country’s official LoftCube distributor, he encourages visitors.
Prefab construction has become increasingly popular in the last decade or so.
By manufacturing modular pieces in the factory and then transporting the intact structure to its destination site, designers significantly reduce waste materials and also cut down on carbon emissions associated with shipping.
The LoftCube can be transported in either two truck loads or in two shipping containers. It is wrapped in glazing that permit all kinds of light and ventilation and most of the interior is finished in Corian to create a breezy, comfortable home.
Heating and cooling systems can be customized in accordance with each buyer’s eco-ethos, and the facades and finishes are also flexible.
LoftCubes are exceptionally mobile; homeowners whose jobs require them to change their location – as often happens in the 21st century – can easily dismantle their home and move elsewhere. It goes up in 5 to 7 days and comes down in 1 to 2 days.
But they aren’t cheap. Unlike earth bag homes, which can be constructed for under $5,000, these can cost from 40,000 and 80,000 EURO, depending on the distance between the buyer and the factory. Now that AirBnBs are a thing, we bet they’d be a tad more resilient to Lebanese winters than a geodesic dome tent.
:: LoftCube
More on Green Building in the Middle East:
First Pictures of the Siemens Headquarters in Masdar City
Woman Builds Off-Grid Home in Turkey for $3,761
Iranian Architect Nader Khalili Built Earth Buildings Fit for Space
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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Dear sir,
I would like to know the price of prefabricated house if the area is 100 m2
Regards
Romeo
Tafline,
I love that you are spreading the word on the Loftcube.
Not only is impressive in design, but for all the other reasons you’ve written above. Quick question though, did the gentlemen that bought the unit in your pictures, you know what the total cost came to. Meaning the purchase of the base unit (basically the walls and.ceiling) did he purchase any amenities for the inside (kitchen, bathroom, etc) the delivery, cost to his location, and then the construction.
Again, I think the concept. Design , and project is a huge win win…so none of this is meant to come off negative. Im extremely intrigued, so if you have access to that new owner, that answer would be great to know. And give your readers a perfect sense of what it takes to et their own.
Thanks so much. John
Beirut
How can we contact Beirut dealer or supplier?
I would contact LoftCube directly if I were you, Wissam. We’re a news organization…
hello, i am from lebanon, can I know how can I contact you for more info?
This is good design & execution. What is it made of?
I need more pic
how about materials that are used to build those prefab materials? they have to be delivered instead of being delievered to where the house would get build. footprint would be associated with its energy needs and there is not much about it in this article but water usage would be the same and heating has to be more since it is all glass around – really high tech windows have values reaching 0.6 but that is still a lot comparing to materials that would have been used instead.
No xipt. Prefab construction overall wastes less materials since it’s built in one place and it’s less harmful to transport the building (in two trucks or two containers instead of potentially dozens coming from different places.) This home has a MUCH smaller footprint overall. Most homes last forever, more or less, while this one can be picked up and moved without leaving any damage behind.
why this is less destructive.
the whole idea of hauling a home where ever you moved to is punishing for enviroment
xipt: because this is still a lot less destructive than conventional housing and most people aren’t going to ship the LoftCube very far.
so if this costs between 40 000 to 80 000 depending on a distance it means that up to 40 000 euros goes to burning fossil fuels – how did this end up on this eco site then
Now that is useful 🙂