World's first off-grid Ecocapsule home to hit the market this year, shipping in 2016 | Inhabitat

Read article : World's first off-grid Ecocapsule home to hit the market this year, shipping in 2016 | Inhabitat

If your fantasy is to live totally off-the-grid anywhere around the world, that dream just got one step closer to reality. Nice Architects just unveiled the first photos of their incredible egg-shaped Ecocapsule home - and the tiny solar and wind-powered dwelling will be available for sale later this year. Nice Architects has already completed a prototype, and they plan to ship the first units as soon as Spring 2016 - check out the first photos of this low-energy sanctuary after the break, and picture yourself living the dream.

Like the Swiss Army Knife of tiny homes, the Ecocapsule packs everything you need into one very efficient, compact design. Replete with rather luxurious amenities, including a double bed, kitchenette, storage space, and bathroom with a shower and a toilet that collects bio waste, the Ecocapsule can used as a tiny home just for you, a pop-up hotel, a humanitarian refuge, or even an electric car charging station. Its 9744Wh battery is powered by a 750W silent wind turbine and 600W solar outputs that enable it to operate completely off-grid. A dual-power system offers an additional source of electricity during periods without sufficient sunlight or wind. The structure’s rounded shape also helps to easily collect rain water, which is then purified with a built-in filtration system.

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The amazing micro-dwelling is perfect for nature lovers, scientists, photographers, rangers and anyone who wants to stay off-grid for long stretches of time. The architects also recommend it as an urban dwelling for singles in high-rent areas such as Silicon Valley or NYC. The little “egg” home measures just 4.5 meters (14.6 feet) in length, 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) in width, and 2.5 meters in height (8.2 feet), with a reasonable living space around eight square meters (86 square feet). When you’re ready to move on to your next destination, the capsule fits snugly into a standard transportation container.

Nice Architects plans to announce pricing for the Ecocapsule egg home at the end of 2015 – just in time for pre-orders. They’ve focused on reducing the size and weight of the pod so that it can be easily transported – approximate shipping costs range from 1500 Euros from Slovakia to Melbourne, to 2200 Euros from Slovakia to New York. Nice Architects plans to launch one version of the Ecocapsule initially, and they plan to offer additional customizations after the first units are sold.

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All images by Tomas Manina