Hobbyist Michael R Weekes believes that tiny homemakers haven't gone far enough “to do more with less”, so utilizing the techniques of Buckminster Fuller, he constructed what he calls “the lightest 115 square feet of living on the planet”. At 1500 kilos, the Eight-foot-wide, 14-foot-long Lifepod is what Weekes calls “the most house that can be built on a Jet Ski trailer” and pulled by a daily vehicle.
Inspired by Bucky's geodesic construction, Weekes then requested “how do you take a dome down the road?” His reply to: flip two Eight' diameter domes on their part and join them with a 10-sided cylinder. Inspired by the water droplet- “Nature's most robust shape”-, the tiny mobile home was constructed applying 2-by- 2 lumber and a Luan pores and skin (an affordable plywood frequently used as a flooring underlay) and waterproofed with TPO (a flat roofing materials) heat-welded mutually (So yes, it floats, although Weekes would like to place it on a barge).
The tiny pod is provided with a kitchen (microwave oven, sink and area for a fridge), bed room (convertible couch to double mattress) and toilet (shower, composting rest room), plus hot water tank. The unit is powered with an electrical hookup, however Weekes says 300W photo voltaic panels would match completely on the roof and be able to energy the whole setup.
Weekes has traveled 1000 miles with the towable shelter and continues to attempt to toughen the design. “The world hasn't gone as they could have yet with the materials and the process and the technology. So let's use some of what Buckminster Fuller was talking about in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s when there wasn't really a recognized need for it and let's apply that to today's problems which are bigger than ever.”
Weekes sees the Lifepod as being inspiration as emergency housing, homeless shelters or for Millenials once they first transfer to an over-priced metropolis and are struggling to seek out housing.
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