Hard Boiled Housing. The Blob VB3 By dvmA Architects.

The Belgian architectural firm dmvA designed the blob VB3, a smooth white structure that resembles a hard boiled egg, as a mobile office for xfactoragencies.

Mod Pods A Plenty: 10 Hip Prefab & Custom Office Spaces And Sheds

Small, modular, enclosed, insulated, wired, outfitted pods or sheds offer a great alternative to leasing or building office space and are becoming more and more popular these days. Usually more energy efficient and often made from eco-friendly materials, there are several design firms and manufacturers offering various sized pre-fabricated self contained buildings to lease or own.

The UK alone has several, and today I'm sharing three of those with you; OfficePOD, Garden Lodges and The Roosts. For those in the US, there's the kitHaus as well as several other pre-fab and modular sheds, homes and office spaces about which I've blogged before.

First up is a recent addition. A small but mod space to call your own- at least in the UK and Europe.

1. The Office Pod






The OfficePOD measures 2.1m x 2.1m (that's 6 feet 9 inches square) and does not require planning consent in the greater majority of cases. It's modular design enables speedy construction even in gardens with the most difficult access. The POD has been designed to provide appropriate security when empty or occupied.

The OfficePOD provides the user with an efficient use of space with innovative storage and desktop solutions.



High quality materials were carefully chosen for their combination of visual, physical and environmental characteristics. Power is provided via a discrete and protected connection to the house or garage; IT and phone connectivity is generally wireless but can be similarly cabled. The POD is provided with a secure locking system of the highest quality.






The preview of the Office POD at Grand Designs Live, a consumer show for design and innovation had people buzzing about the POD. One interesting outcome from their consumer market testing at the show is that they are now selling PODs to small home-based businesses and individuals. This is in addition to their core offering of the flexible leasing and service agreement model preferred by larger organizations.


Not available in North America. At least not yet.
all images courtesy of OfficePOD
Learn more here.

2. Garden Lodges
Need a little bigger space? Garden Lodges® of the UK makes garden offices and studios available for lease that are also fully insulated and complete with integral electrics for power and lighting and can be used as work studios, gyms, gameing rooms or music studios.






Learn about the available sizes as well as other models here.
all images and info courtesy of Garden Lodges

3, 4, and 5. TheRoosts


Roost is another UK company that makes three different modules, the R1 Oval, The R2 Aluminium, and the R3 Stealth. They also offer a bespoke service that is all about working with you and adapting their designs to suit your needs.

Below are their three 'off the rack' models.

R1 - Oval:





Clad in red western cedar with a fully low-e glazed frontage and sedum roof this striking oval roost is our signature piece, and it’s not difficult to see why. Unlike anything else on the market, it can be fitted out with a sofa, ottoman (which pushed together becomes a double bed) and desk to form an unbelievably versatile space. Simply the coolest garden studio around.

R2 - Aluminium:


For the ultimate in micro-living, this fully insulated, aluminium clad roost cleverly includes a micro-kitchen, shower, loo and living area with more than enough space to fit a sofa-bed. Perfect for an office or guest accommodation this multi-functional space measures in at a neat 2.8 x 4.5m. Cedar cladding also available.

R3- Stealth:




"The brief for the Stealth was pretty simple...To create a space within the parameters of a small garden that would exploit the northern light. The slightly unusual shape of the garden leant itself to something angular and immediately conjured up images of ‘stealth’ technology, whereby the multi-angled surfaces on airplanes, boats and other vehicles make them virtually invisible to enemy radar. With those initial ideas in mind, I took the two-dimensional plan of the garden and expanded it in to three dimensions. The result was a studio with a series of angular sides, all of which are mirrored on the inside by the sloping panelled walls." --Roost designer, Ben Huggins on the Stealth pod

all images and info courtesy of Roost.

6. kitHAUS


For those of us in the US, there's a wonderful selection from kitHAUS. Their modern modules by designers and co-founders Tom Sandanato and Martin Wehamm are available in various sizes, with aluminum construction impervious to rust (can also be clad in IPE wood) and are pre-constructed and drilled at the factory for easy installation.

kitHauses 1 and 2 can be combined and configured in many various ways, below is an example of K1B +K2L + K2B which equals 768 square feet:


K1 (289 square feet):


K2 (289 square feet):



Models K3 and K4 are available exclusively at Design Within Reach

K3 (117 square feet):


K4 (187 square feet)




To inquire about KitHAUS 1 and 2, please contact them directly here. The smaller Kithaus K3 ranges in price from $32,450 to $49,390, while the larger K4 model starts at $32,450 and can be outfitted with a full kitchen and/or bath. Kithaus is available exclusively through Design Within Reach. For more information or to place an order, please contact Dow O’Neal, Contract Sales Manager, at 415.676.6648 or kithaus@dwr.com.

In the past, I've blogged about other great examples, be sure to see the posts below!

7. The Orb


8. Neoshed


9. weeHouses



10. Pinc House Scandanavian prefabs

M-vironments, M-velopes & The M-house by Michael Jantzen

Architect Michael Jantzen's M-vironments are innovative, smart and good looking structures that are relocatable and transformable. The sustainable structures are like the ultimate fort for grown-ups; one of his M-velopes® is even in this year's Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog's 'WOW' section.

Relocatable M-vironments are made of a wide variety of manipulable components that can be connected in many different ways to a matrix of modular support frames. The frames can be assembled and disassembled in different ways to accommodate a wide range of changing needs.

The M-vironments were developed to accommodate a wide range of markets. With different sizes, shapes, materials, and panel types, the system can be used for exhibit structures, pavilions, play environments for kids, retail spaces, office modules, and many other commercial applications.


Above: Architect Michael Jantzen


M-House
Below are images and info of Michael's M-House in Gorman, California which was actually auctioned off and sold.





The M-House, made from the M-vironment system, consists of a series of rectangular panels that are attached with hinges to an open space frame grid of seven interlocking cubes. The structure can be assembled or disassembled by a crew of four in one week. Jantzen built this one-bedroom, 90 square meter cottage entirely by himself in 2000.





The panels are hinged to the cubes in either a horizontal or a vertical orientation. The hinges allow the panels to fold into, or out of the cube frames to perform various functions. Some of the panels are insulated and contain windows and doors. These panels can completely enclose spaces that are heated and cooled.



Other not-insulated panels fold in or out over and around open platforms to shade the sun, deflect the rain, or block the wind. Some of these unfold from the face of the cubes to become places to sit, places to sleep, places to work, or places to eat. Most of the slotted panels are oriented over and around these open platforms.

Interior of the M-House:







All of the M-House components are interchangeable, and can be increased or decreased in numbers and size. The panels can be made in a curved configuration and from many different types of materials. The existing M-house panels are assembled with a steel structural frame that supports thin sheets of a concrete composite. All of the exposed surfaces of the structure are painted.The platforms and the cube frames, are supported by adjustable legs which are attached to load bearing foot pads. In many cases the support frames do not require a foundation, and they can be adjusted to accommodate terrain variations.

This M-House was designed to function as a single private vacation retreat, or in multiple numbers and configurations, as a complete stand alone high tech resort complex. The house can be designed to be self sufficient, powered by alternative energy sources such as the sun and the wind.

M-velopes
Now take a Look at some of his M-velopes. They are like akin to the coolest forts you'll ever own as an adult.

His M-velope One:






His M-velope Two:





His Fabric M-velope:




And, finally, the M-velope® available through Neiman Marcus:


Straight from the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog:

M-Velope® Transformable Structure
What if your workshop was a convertible? What if you could move your yoga studio walls as easily as you roll up your mat? What if you could rebuild, rearrange, and reassemble your garden retreat as quickly as you rearrange furniture? Step inside our M-Velope and you can! It's a massively cool 15-foot high by 14-foot wide by 17-foot deep creation of functional art built with a steel frame. All its hinged wood panel frames open, move, and close at your whim. Michael Jantzen, an internationally famous architectural pioneer/artist, thought it up and he is crafting just 10 structures for us exclusively. He's a leader in rethinking how we live, and he's been green since '71. He builds each M-Velope with new Accoya® wood products that are durable and completely sustainable.

Price is $100,000.00 USD and is available by calling Call 1.877.9NM.GIFT

For details and purchasing, email info@michaeljantzen.com or call +1 310 989 1897
Michael Jantzen Architect
27800 N. Mc Bean Parkway, Suite 319
Valencia CA 91354

The photos in this post are courtesy of Michael Jantzen, arcspace and world architecture.