Moving house: A new standard in flexible living

Viana do Castelo, Portugal – Portuguese architects Mima have designed a flexible prefabricated housing system for roughly the cost of a mid-range car.

The MIMA system, based on traditional Japanese housing, creates a post-and-beam structure divided into modular units. Moveable screens, panels and mats enable owners to create flexible interior spaces. Exterior walls and windows can also be changed easily using plywood panels.

To pick a plot of land using Google Earth, users visit the project’s website. MIMA’s specially developed 3D software will then generate an accurate model house specific to the site.

Low-cost, flexible architecture can also be applied to retail environments. For inspiration, see LS:N Global’s Flexthetics Retail Toolkit.