“Can you see yourself in an iT house?”
Linda Taalman, Alan Koch, and the iT house designers ask this question, examining what potential homeowners desire in a machine for living.
Utilizing an aluminum frame structure manufactured by Bosch, the all glass house is constructed within an 8 week timeframe - from pouring the “Smart Slab” to appliance installation. Thoroughly designed to be an intelligent dwelling, radiant heat flooring and rooftop solar panels are incorporated within the rapid-build construction system. At a mere 1,000 sq-ft, the units offer separate public and private wings, as well as exterior courtyard space.
Where the iT house varies from many other prefab housing systems is that it is made to be customized. Integral to the design is the ?outFiT,? a 3M skin applied to the Fleetwood Glass Enclosure available in several patterns and colors. Like a kit of parts, the iT house can be accessorized with items ordered specifically for individual living tastes. Softwall moveable walls, Fireorb suspended fireplaces, Bulthaup kitchen accessories, and designer furniture are some of the many available add-ons.
The iT house is for those who want high design and modernized living out of a prefabricated home. Can everyone live in a glass house? Probably not. Other than obvious privacy issues, the insulative properties of this little jewel box might be something to consider when evaluating your future home site. However, TallmanKoch has created a modern glass box that is accessible to all, accommodating to many, and ready to build. Prefab has a long way to go before it is mass-marketable, however the iT house proves that it can be done, that it can look good, and at as little as $175 per sq-ft, can be an affordable alternative for the right homeowner. Eat your heart out, Mies.