In the spring of last year, within the framework of the key exposition of the Arch of Moscow called Quarters, Totan Kuzembaev's bureau presented an interesting stand with a project that there, at the exhibition, seemed conceptual and even somewhat ironic: a kind of anti-quarter. The essence of the idea was to outline all the expanses of the country into 5x5 km cells, placing a capsule in the center of each square, where "a hiker can rest and live." The grid of residential modules looked very attractive and just as utopian, clearly reminiscent of the setting of a science fiction novel, rather than a real perspective of Russian life.
“The division of Russia into plots is by no means utopian,” comments Olzhas Kuzembaev on the regular use of modular houses shown at Arch Moscow. “This idea was discussed back in the twenties of the XX century, simultaneously with the GOELRO plan; then a cadastral scheme for the development of territories was drawn up. Over the past year, the Ministry of Economic Development has contributed to the development of laws in many constituent entities of the Russian Federation on the free allocation of land, and our scheme conventionally reflects this process. Well, the idea is good - any outside observer will say. But now it turned out that the modular house is quite real and its first prototype has already been built by Kuzembaev's workshop and will be offered - not for all-Russian tourist routes, of course - but for sale, and, apparently, very soon.
And the background of the project is as follows. Two years ago, the Union of Moscow Architects launched a scholarship program for young architects who were invited to conduct research on sustainable and energy-efficient construction, eventually proposing an innovative project - however, the topic was formulated broadly, without a specific task. One of the bonds of the program participants, selected by portfolio, was Olzhas Kuzembaev, who eventually proposed his own version of a modular mini-house. Then the idea was developed and turned into a real project in the workshop of Totan Kuzembaev, where Olzhas now works with his father.
The resulting house, or rather a residential module called InstaShell, is extremely compact and quick to install. Six meters in length, two with a small width, two and a half meters in height inside - the dimensions are precisely adjusted to the parameters of a standard shipping container, which makes it possible to transport the module by truck, train and ship, and due to the special strength of the structure, it can be moved without damage. place in place at least a hundred times. The module is completely manufactured at the factory; it is assumed that one person with the help of a small crane can mount it on a foundation located on a site of almost any complexity: “even in a wild forest, even on a mountain slope,” the author comments. In any case, neither heavy equipment nor a large construction team is required.
The architecture of the module is very simple: it is a parallelepiped, one of the longitudinal walls of which is almost completely glazed and serves as a kind of "main facade". The main and most interesting element of the house is the “cap” of the transformer roof, which can be raised and lowered using a manual or electric drive. When folded, it acts as a protective shell like a roller shutter, thanks to which it is possible to preserve the house for a long time - the module, like a hermit crab or a turtle, hides under the "shell", providing itself with reliable protection from sunlight and other elements, vandals and aggressive forest inhabitants. And in good weather, accepting the inhabitants, it opens the "shutter" like a beetle - chitinous elytra. The cap will be made from sheets of steel corrugated board of secondary use: on the one hand, they are difficult to break or gnaw through, on the other hand, the use of such material increases the environmental responsibility of the object, - explains the author, Olzhas Kuzembaev.
The cap is interesting not only for the reliability of protection, but also for the possibilities of transformation: if you raise it partially, for example, by 45 degrees, a small visor forms in front of the glass wall of the entrance, and the silhouette becomes similar to a gable roof, charming and comfortable: water and snow do not linger on the slopes … When fully opened, the "carapace" forms an open terrace on the roof, but protected from rain and sun.
A standard living module with a flooring of a small wooden terrace in front of the entrance contains only one room and a bathroom, and therefore is designed more for temporary residence - for example, during the hunting or fishing season. It is possible to use a 12-meter-long doubled house as a permanent residence. All the spaces and objects necessary for life can already easily fit here. However, the authors position the module as quite universal, proposing to use it not only for temporary housing, but also for a shop or cafe - with tables around and on the roof, where a steep staircase leads. It can even accommodate a small office, sports or rehearsal room. Several individual capsules can be scattered across the forest: put the bedroom in a thicket, the dining room on the sunny lawn, and the bathhouse by the river. The authors suggest moving between separate rooms using the most environmentally friendly transport - a bicycle.
The video shows the logic of the mini-house device:
The house is conceived to be completely autonomous, consumes very little energy and can provide itself, and the authors, as in the case of the module function, propose to combine various alternative energy options, from wind generators and solar panels to a wood-burning stove.
Definitely, Olzhas Kuzembaev's project belongs to the genre of compact transformable mini-modules, in Russia until recently it was represented most of all by panel cottages, stalls and ubiquitous container trailers, which are so convenient to put one on top of the other at a construction site - both have set a strong soreness, it is necessary think, even in construction brigades. So Russian architects have turned to designing various and modern mini-house options only in recent years. Among them there are uniquely original ones, there are quite large ones that claim to be a full-fledged home for a small family; there are homes enthralled with the possibilities of transformation per se. What makes Kuzembaev's project different? Perhaps combining several small-scale prototypes at once: a container, a stall and a forest house with a touch of luxury that is quite distinct thanks to the glass wall - it turns out that all this can be combined in one module for a whole fan of use cases. Indeed, it is tempting to imagine a taiga or at least just some forest, for example Komelsky, mastered with the help of such autonomous modules - but, probably, the most original method of use must be recognized as an office one.
The first model of a mini-house has already been practically implemented. For now, it will be an exhibition, but in the future anyone will be able to purchase the module he personally needs in order to expand the boundaries of their own ideas about the ways and way of life.
