Beatrice Bonzanigo to present mobile off-grid home at Milan design week

Italian architect Beatrice Bonzanigo has unveiled her patented design for Casa Ojalá, a micro home that is mobile off-grid home.

The proposed building has an area of just 27 square metres, but can be configured in 20 different layouts. It can also be assembled in any location, by anyone.

Casa Ojalá has an area of just 27 square metres

Bonzanigo designed the house to offer an alternative to the "world of static architecture", offering occupants an opportunity to connect with nature. She will present a prototype at Milan design week in April.

"Casa Ojalá is a sustainable, minimal, compact and flexible product for a new comfort, away from TV or air conditioning," explained IB Studio, the studio led by Bonzanigo and partner Isabella Invernizzi.

"The boundary between inner and outer space no longer exists. Outdoor is a substantial, fundamental and precious part of it."

The house is designed to be assembled in any location, by anyone

The patent, titled "residential building with high flexibility", details a home with a basic layout of two bedrooms, a terrace, a kitchenette, a living room and bathroom with a sunken toilet. 

Occupants could tailor these spaces for different uses, choosing whether to separate, merge or completely open out them out. 

This is made possible with a manual mechanical system comprising ropes, pulleys and cranks, which control the sliding wooden walls and fabric partitions that roll up on posts at the edge and centre of the structure.

It can be configured in 20 different layouts

The building is designed to function completely off-grid, to minimise environmental impact and ensure it can be used anywhere.

While a rainwater-collection system and a septic tank provide water for drinking and bathing, photovoltaic panels would be used to supply its energy.

Walls are adjusted with a mechanical system of ropes, pulleys and cranks

Bonzanigo imagines the design being built in a variety of materials, depending on what is locally available. This would help the building to be both environmentally and socially sustainable. 

"Wood and fabrics recall the traditions of the place where Casa Ojalá stands, highlighting its uniqueness and aesthetic adaptability, while remaining a formally recognisable, globally marketable object," said IB Studio.

The building is designed to function completely off-grid

Bonzanigo will present a 1:10 scale model of Casa Ojalá from 9 to 14 April, during Milan design week.

Although the city-wide event typically focuses on furniture, architecture projects are becoming a regular fixture. Last year Arup and CLS Architetti showed a full-size model of a 3D-printed house, while the year before OFIS Arhitekti showed a modular house suited for different terrains and climates.

Edited by Emeiju Echo