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Saturday, May 7, 2011

Living in a box... no, really.


Living in a box... no really: The incredible 10ft cube home that includes a lounge, a shower, a kitchen and a DOUBLE bedroom

Last updated at 6:38 PM on 7th May 2011
If you think your home is a bit cramped, take a look at this one.
Yet, somehow, designers have squeezed a lounge with a table and two chairs, a 4ft-wide double bed, a full-size shower and a kitchen into a 10ft cube.
And, because solar panels on its roof generate electricity, potential owners could rake in £1,000 a year selling energy back to the grid – and still keep the place warm and cosy.
Big idea, tiny space: The Cube, thought to be the smallest eco-home in the world, on display in Edinburgh
Big idea, tiny space: The Cube, thought to be the smallest eco-home in the world, on display in Edinburgh
The tiny apartment, which is being showcased at the Edinburgh Science Festival, is designed to be carbon-neutral and is thought to be the smallest eco-home in the world.
But despite being so small, its creator, Dr Mike Page, engineer and reader in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, said: ‘It is surprisingly comfortable.’
The ultra-green home uses a host of low-energy products.
The kitchen features an energy-efficient fridge, induction hob, re-circulating cooker hood and sink/drainer - allowing people to get cooking while staying green.
Squeezy does it: The bijou kitchen includes energy-saving appliances powered by solar-generated electricity
Squeezy does it: The bijou kitchen includes energy-saving appliances powered by solar-generated electricity
Living room: Although just one chamber, it also include a TV area and a fold-down bed
Living room: Although just one chamber, it also include a TV area and a fold-down bed
It is built mostly from wood and other green or sustainable materials, but the designers have considered comfort and style as well as the environment.
It sits within a timber frame with sweet chestnut cladding on the exterior walls and birch plywood on the inside.
But green appliances and fittings feature throughout, with ultra-efficient LED lights used as well as an Ecodan air-source heat pump which recovers heat from extracted air. 
Clever: The Cube, seen being erected, is the brainchild of Dr Mike Page of the University of Hertfordshire
Clever: The Cube, seen being erected, is the brainchild of Dr Mike Page of the University of Hertfordshire
On the property's roof and walls sit solar panels, with the generating capacity of these expected to make the Cube carbon-neutral over the year.
If registered for the UK Government's feed-in tariff, the Cube would be free from utility bills, raising an annual income of around £1,000.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1384635/10ft-cube-home-includes-lounge-shower-kitchen-DOUBLE-bedroom.html#ixzz1LjITH9AP

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