First Kasita Prototype Complete

Kasita is an innovative housing solution designed by Dr. Jeff Wilson and environmental science professor from Texas. The first Kasita unit has recently been completed and can be viewed in Austin, Texas. Kasita apartments are prefab housing units, which can stand on their own as tiny homes, or be inserted into steel racks to form larger structures such as the one pictured above.

Each Kasita measures 208 square feet, and it is an affordable and very functional smart home. It’s made in a factory and can be placed on an 18-wheeler truck to be moved just about anywhere. It can either stand on its own, or be inserted into a special rack, which has been described as a vertical RV or trailer park. I’m not really sure it’s good marketing likening this home to a trailer in a trailer park, due to the negative stigma attached to them, but in essence it describes it perfectly.

Each unit is fitted with clever transformer furniture, such as a sofa that turns into a bed, which can be stowed under a platform to gain extra room. The designers also came up with a unique system of modular storage tiles that allow putting up storage, shelving and even bike racks with minimal effort. Each Kasita is also equipped with a host of smart home technologies that can all be controlled via a smartphone app. These include a Nest thermostat, lighting, and the dichromic glass covering the mini-solarium, which can be adjusted so as to either let in more or less light.

Kasitas are constructed in accordance with international building codes, while the racks that support them are zoned as multi-unit housing. It’s possible to purchase a single Kasita and use it as a home, or a full rack of them with the purpose of renting them out.

After the successful completion of the prototype, they are already planning to build a larger, 320-square-foot production model by the end of 2016. They also plan to build a wheelchair-accessible model. The price of a Kasita has not yet been revealed, but due to the fact that they can be mass-produced in a factory, Wilson says that even a person making only minimum wage could afford one.

[source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/jetson_green/~3/4WjvyBL5Pf4/first-kasita-prototype-complete.html]