It looks like the 100k House idea has migrated overseas because a similar prototype just popped up in Italy last year.  Mario Cucinella Architects has conceived Casa 100k, which is a prototype home for ?100,000 that prioritizes three main elements: style, sustainability, and affordability.  It’s billed as a low-cost, dream home with zero bills and zero emissions.  And as you can see from available renderings, the method of accomplishing such goals is primarily through prefabrication and passive and active design strategies.

Flush with twirling vertical axis wind turbines (probably the qr5 variety) and a patchwork facade, Casa 100k is certainly picturesque and intriguing. The design includes roof gardens, building integrated photovoltaics, passive solar strategies, a rainwater recovery system, and sliding, removable, and bendable walls and partitions for flexible occupant use of space. Of note, the framework is pre-designed, while the interiors can be personalized. Homes are supposed to be a mere 1,000 square feet.

With solar thermal and a geothermal heat pump, as well as the other already mentioned strategies, the design for Casa 100k contemplates creating more energy than is used — a feature that could prove financially beneficial to homeowners. It’s an interesting vision for living — one that could just be a reality with already existing technology and prefab construction methods.