Designed by German firm Studio Aisslinger, the Fincube is a minimalist housing unit that gets its power from solar energy, uses locally-grown lumber, and can be easily moved to another location.

But its resemblance to a mobile home ends there, because the exterior – which looks somewhat like the grid housing on a fan but in wood instead of plastic – provides a combination of privacy and shade with intermittent openings to let the full view invade the senses. In fact, think of it as a house-sized Venetian blind.

The gridding, designers say, creates a more visually pleasing synthesis when the unit is placed in a rural setting, for example woods or meadows, but it also adds a futuristic frisson that makes it equally suitable for any upscale, urban neighborhood.

Designed and built near Northern Italy, the Fincube is thermally efficient thanks to a triple-glazed, all-glass perimeter. Inside, 506 square feet of clean, open and architecturally functional spaces provide a feeling of openness that is enhanced by the all-glass, shielded exterior.

All the wood is locally grown and harvested, so the eco-footprint is tiny. Because the house is light, both in terms of weight and materials used, soil sealing requirements are also minimal, at three meters (roughly 9.8 feet).
In the U.S., where soil sealing is less common, the base of the unit is a mere 20 square feet, and can probably be provided via the pillar option shown on Studio Aisslinger’s 2003 showcase home, the Loftcube.

Inside, ceilings are lofty if not quite Victorian, views are long, and the cubist nature of the design puts the kitchen and living space traditionally at one end, with one bedroom and bathroom around the next turn. The local wood interiors that reduce the unit’s environmental footprint might well be pine in the U.S., though consumers might want to think seriously about sustainable, structural bamboo for ceilings and floors.

Finally, this low-energy, low (environmental) impact, easily transportable Fincube has a roof load of solar photovoltaic panels that take the dwelling off-grid if needed. Originally designed as an eco-friendly tourist shelter, it’s not a huge amount of space, but as a high-mountain getaway, or tucked into the Northwoods alongside a lake, it would make an ideal vacation cabin.

In cities, such minimalist dwellings might be the wave of the future as material costs for new housing put traditional homes outside the budget of many Americans.