October 6, 2024

Startup enlists famous architects to design affordable(ish) urban prefabs

For many people, owning a house is an unattainable goal, let alone owning a house designed by a famous architect. But a new company out of London called Cube Haus is looking to bring designer homes to the masses with affordable(ish), modular designs.

Skene Catling de la Peña’s design.

The Guardian reports that the company has tapped design firms like David Adjaye Associates, Skene Catling de la Peña, Carl Turner Architects, and Faye Toogood to design a series of homes that can be manufactured offsite with materials like cross-laminated timber and then constructed in infill sites, which lowers the price.

Skene Catling de la Peña via The Guardian

Rendering of wood house in the countryside

Faye Toogood’s design.

Faye Toogood via The Guardian

“One-off house projects are so expensive to do,” Cube Haus co-founder Philip Bueno de Mesquita told The Guardian. “But we can create economies of scale that make innovative architectural design accessible. ”

Rendering showing a cutaway of a house

Carl Turner Architects’ design.

Carl Turner Architects via The Guardian

Renderings show a dark timber house from Adjaye Associates, a pitch-roof design from Faye Toogood, and a cubed house from Skene Catling de la Peña that uses a central ceramic stove that cuts through the entire house for heating, cooking, and structural support.

Cube Haus estimates that a three-bedroom home will start around £650,000 (or $880,000). Not exactly cheap, but then again, it is a designer home.

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