With urban crowding, rising house prices, and sustainability concerns, the housing market is looking tough. Among different innovative solutions, there is the concept of tiny homes.
For designers, they aren’t a new concept. But a partnership between Vattenfall, a European renewable power company, and Superuse Studios, an architect group, resulted in a tiny home made from a wind turbine.
The prototype for the tiny turbine house gives residents 387 square feet of interior space. Currently, it’s displayed to the public at Dutch Design Week, from October 19-27th.
Repurposing Old Wind Turbines
Vattenfall is taking steps toward greater sustainability. In 2023, 87% of the electricity the company produced came from renewable sources. The company aims to break free from fossil fuels entirely by 2040.
Another of Vattenfall’s key goals is to cut down on material consumption. The company turned to its wind turbines, which last roughly 20 years each. They estimate around 5,000 wind turbines will reach the end of their lifespan per year over the next several years. This amounts to a lot of large, clunky materials just lying around.
Luckily, most components of a wind turbine are recyclable. However, conventional recycling methods would contribute large amounts of carbon emissions. Tiny homes created from the turbines would avoid this issue.
How a Wind Turbine Becomes a Tiny Home
The prototype is made from the 33ft by 13ft by 10ft control box of a V80 2MW model wind turbine. This turbine has stood on the Austrian Gols wind farm for its whole lifespan. Compared to newer turbines, this one is on the small side.
The process of making the turbine’s control box into a livable place was difficult. First, the control box had to be separated from the turbine and emptied of its interior components. Moving the control box was also a challenge.
After these logistics were sorted, Superuse Studios designed the home to meet Dutch tiny home regulations. These included lighting and spacing, insulation, and emergency exit routes.
In the final prototype, there is a fully functioning toilet and shower, a pull-out couch, a kitchen with a working sink and stove, light wood panels, and an electric heat pump. The solar panels on its roof help power the home. Additionally, the home can charge electric cars.
Future Direction for the Wind Turbine Tiny Home
Vattenfall doesn’t have plans to take their prototype into production. Their stated main purpose is to show how the idea is feasible as a business opportunity.
Superuse Studios and its partners are considering scaling the turbine tiny home. At Dutch Design Week, several people have already shown interest in buying a home like the prototype.
References:
https://www.fastcompany.com/91214085/wind-turbines-tiny-homes-vattenfall
https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/newsroom/2024/wind-turbine-turned-into-compact-living
