A British architect designed the 9 ft x 9 ft x 9 ft pod to hold everything a person needs for shelter, privacy and day-to-day living. “Shoehorn” is figurative language for “tight fit.”
The designer of the Micro Compact House, Richard Horden, told the BBC recently that the cube reflects the classic scale and order of a Japanese tea house. Each cube is built on two levels, and includes two bedrooms, a lounge, a dining room, a kitchen and a bathroom. This less-is-more feat is achieved by refinements to both the furniture and fittings and their arrangement in the tiny space. The entrance lobby doubles as a shower and toilet, while a double bed folds down over the lounge area to create a dining room that can seat four people or function as a spare bedroom. And the cube features surround sound, a flat-screen television and broadband.
Anything that succeeds at enabling people to live better and do more can claim ergonomic credentials, and the wood, aluminum and plastic Micro Compact Houses could do both on a global scale.
Horden regards them as ideal temporary accommodation for students and key workers, and also sees them cropping up in suburban back yards for elderly relatives