Ukrainian Architect Creates Houses Which Can Be Disassembled Like a Construction Set

The construction of a house is not an easy and quick matter, it would take a year at best: to lay the foundation, to erect the walls and put a roof, to revet facade, to make the interior works, to install the communication. Modular mobile house designed by the Ukrainian architect Yuriy Motiyenko could be built just in one month. One more day is to be spent for its installation at the place chosen by purchaser and for all communications installation. One or two days could also be enough for dissemblance of a house and moving it closer to the river or to another city.

Modularity

Buildings designed by Yuriy Motiyenko are mounted from special constructions – modules. Nowadays the 3x6 sized modules are manufactured and soon larger ones – 4x10 meters and more – will appear in production. Several such modules can be assembled into a house of any size – 45 sq. m., 60 sq. m., 90 sq. m., 150 sq. m. and so forth.
 
Modules can be set in different compositions – and assembled in any configurations, as far as your imagination can reach. For example, that could be a two-storey house with terraces on the sides or office in the form of “letter П” or a fortress looking country house – so that all rooms could get around in a circle, and in the middle there could be a courtyard-atrium like in Hutsul grazhda (traditional dwelling complex in Carpathian regions).
 
“The module is produced of SIP panel and glued squared timber, turning the construction into very tough and solid one even without metal parts – that is without any thermal bridges and therefore unnecessary losses of heat”, – says Yuriy Motiyenko, founder of the studio OMM and co-owner of the company Module House.
   
Modules are fully mounted in the workshop within a month, including finishing works. For this purpose special mounting stands are used. The wheels, on which they are located, allow to move modules, adjusting them to one another, in order to connect them later with no problems.
   
All that remains to be done when the modules are ready – is to deliver them to the place of location and connect them for accomplishing the house. The construction of the house is performed following the marked line, which is afterwards covered by a decorative plank.
   
Overall, the modular houses are not new. This technology of construction is used in Canada and the United States, rarely – in Europe. However, that version of implementation with so large and integral module, so fast mount and mobility, make the development of Ukrainian engineer a real novelty.

Mobility

It takes only one day to mount such a house as well as dismantle it. Integral modules make this house mobile – so it can be easily transported from place to place, it can withstand such transportation without damages.
 
In addition, for the house installation you don’t need to lay the foundation. “This house does not need a conventional foundation – it can be set up on the earth screws, on metal frame, on the gabions. It is made of lightweight materials, so even with all the dressings the building of the area 45 sq. m. will weight about 10 tons, ten times less than a normal house”, – says Yuriy.
 
Why is this house so light? Its walls are made of 10 mm thick OSB-panels and BASF with the addition of graphite, which reduces heat loss and prevents the walls from any insects.
 
This material is also fireproof. “You can find lots of YouTube clips showing the failed attempts of such blocks burning. It fully meets our and European standards of fire safety and ecology”, – says Yuriy Motiyenko.
 
The house built of such materials is also very warm, the thermal conductivity of such 10 cm thick wall is equivalent to that of brick walls which are 175 cm thick – that is why this technology is so popular in cold Canada.

Materials

Mobile modular house is quite expensive. Fully accomplished house with maximum kitting and built-in furniture, LED-illumination, control system “smart house” and other modern facilities costs $ 54,000.
 
According to Yuriy Motiyenko, he deliberately picked the most modern materials for the house, relying on his own experience. For example, the facade of the building is made of wood burnt according to Japanese technology, resistant to any damage from the sun, fire, bacteria, etc; and also aluminum composite panel.
 
On the roof – strong American roofing rubber; and in the exterior walls the Scandinavian system of air valves is built-in, providing a year-round fresh air circulation. The interior is dressed by moisture resistant furniture panels, so you can leave the house without heating in winter period.
 
Terrace is made from acetylated wood, manufactured in such a way that it has acquired special characteristics: it is also any damage resistant and that is why the manufacturer provides a 50 years warranty for it. In addition to that the coefficient of its expansion is only 0.5%, whereas that of conventional wood amounts to 8-9%. Such wood appeared in Ukraine quite recently, though the engineers were aware of it.
 
Despite the high cost, the use of such materials seems to be justified: they are of high quality, but not the most expensive of all possible options. For example, windows are made from the original German profile Rehau, known for its high quality, but in 1.5-2 times cheaper than the German high-end aluminum profile Schüco.
 
Anyway, Yuriy Motiyenko’s team has been working nowadays on the reduction of such houses cost. According to the architect, the house of 45 sq. m. with the same energy efficiency conditions, but built of the less expensive finishing materials will cost $ 27,000.

Plans

The project of modular mobile houses construction appeared in the spring of 2016 – during that period the company mounted five such buildings, three are in the process of installation. Yuriy and his team plan to enter the European market, they are now designing a module kindergarten for Germany.
 
In addition, the architect has been negotiating with investors about the construction of ecological cottage settlement – without fences, with bio-swimming pools and other “green” stuff. One of such settlements, according to the plan, will be built within the city of Kyiv.

(via)
Article Translation completed by Online Translation Center NOBBY