The sleek, egg-shaped capsule resembles a spaceship, complete with antennae and a layer of futuristic cells.
But the striking design from Slovakian group Nice Architects represents a creative effort to offer housing solutions for this planet. The ‘Ecocapsule’ is a mini apartment with all the conventional luxuries you would expect, but generates its own clean energy and can be situated anywhere, from city to tundra.
After six years of development, the capsule was unveiled to rapturous acclaim at a recent design festival. Nice Architects have already received thousands of pre-orders and the buzz has extended to celebrities.
“We were not prepared for the reaction,” says Nice partner Igor Zacek. “We started small but now we have to revise our model.”
The capsule marries form and function with stylish aesthetics. It powers itself through solar cells that cover the roof and a retractable 750W wind turbine, while the curved shape maximizes energy efficiency and allows for the collection of rainwater, which built in filters make safe for human consumption.
These measures make it practical in even the most remote locations, and for ease of transport it fits within a regulation shipping container.
As for living conditions, the design maximizes the eight square meters of interior space, managing to fit in in a folding bed, workspace that doubles as a dining area, en suite bathroom, kitchenette and storage.
Zacek sees specialist and general purposes for the capsule: “One use is businesses hospitality for entrepreneurs,” he says, adding that many of the pre-orders have been for multiple units from hotel affiliates.
“We also thought of people that have a relationship with nature, but based on the response it could be for almost everybody, it has caught the imagination and reminded people of childhood dreams.”
The architects have also worked to make the design better suited to the urban environment, making the shape more compact and improving energy efficiency.