Port-a-Bach Shipping Container Holiday Home
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.24.07
A bach "is the name given in New Zealand to structures akin to small, often very modest holiday homes or beach houses.They are an iconic part of New Zealand history and culture." Wp
Cecile Bonnifait and William Giesen of atelier workshop have built a bach out of a box, a 20' shipping container.This isn't easy to do; they are narrow inside. They pulled it off by having one side of the container fold down to open it up to the outdoors; suddenly it is bright and open. (much like the All-terrain Cabin) Every inch of it is used cleverly, even the container doors become support for a bed.
A H O L I D A Y H O M E
- portable,
- secure,
- high-level finish,
- designed to be environmentally clean
- comparatively inexpensive,
- comfortably sleeps two adults and two children.
T H A T A L L O W S :
- transportation,
- immediate, flexible and long-term solution that enables you
to use your land without investing in a permanent property
commitment,
- for future development, ideal for leased land situations.
- to be power, water and sewer independent, it is well suited
to remote or non-service supplied land
- also be connected to available services.
- quick and easy transportation (via truck or helicopter) and
installation to any orientation with minimal impact on site,
- unfolding to create a living space and refolding to create
a secure unit for in situ storage or relocation.
F E A T U R E S
- fully enclosed exterior steel shell (when folded up).
- appointed with large internal storage cupboards and
shelves / stainless steel kitchen and fittings / bathroom
with open shower, sink, composting toilet.
- interior fabric screen system gives the versatility of
creating rooms within the large open living space :
includes bunk beds, double bed room,
dressing room, kitchen and bathroom
- exterior canvas screen system allows to shelter the
deck area for comfortable indoor/outdoor flow and living.
- 6 concrete footings form a stable, non-invasive
'foundation', allowing you to situate the unit on a wide
range of ground conditions.
Given that it folds up neatly into a standard container, this is one New Zealand prefab that could actually be shipped worldwide.
Port-a-bach from ::Atelier Workshop via ::Shedworking and ::Materialicious
See also ::Shipping Container prefab and ::Shipping Containers Do More Than Ship
ooooohhh. I want one of these.
This is awesome. I love it, I'm 18 today, anyone want to buy me one!
This is a really awesome concept and has been built very well.
Too often now the idea of the Kiwi Bach has metamorphosised into Holiday Homes for rich kiwis, only accessible if it also comes with a jetski, power boat and a home in Remuera/Herne Bay. My grandfather had a bach in Pukehina, just made out of corrugated iron, with a wendyhouse and complete with family of spiders. We had some of the best summers out there, even when Hurricane Fergus hit!
The fact this is such a compact, sustainable design gels well with environmentalists, and the 'chique' value has got to gel well with everybody else - let's see a return to the good ol' simple kiwi summers, when pretentiousness WASN'T in the equation!
:) Well done guys... I know I want one!
i hope i will need it!
I'm picturing 4 of these units in a U shape formation with a raised deck in the middle leveled with each unit's deck.
|_ _|
1 one each side of the 'U' and 2 at the bottom of the 'U'
1 unit for kids/guests with bathroom.
1 master suite unit with bathroom
1 kitchen & indoor dining unit
1 living/reading/entertainment unit
The recessed hot tub will on the middle deck at the center of the 'U'
Then I get rid of our 'permanent' residence and move into my port-o-bach villa full-time