A 23-year-old architect, N.G. Arun Prabhu, has designed on an autorickshaw a portable house, which he claimed would fulfil the needs of two adults. The effort was to create awareness on small scale architecture and affordable housing, he said.
Mr. Arun, after passing out of an architecture institute in Chennai, wanted to promote the idea of small scale architecture in the country as it was cost-effective and would not require much space. Hailing from Namakkal, which is know for building body for lorries, Mr. Arun designed a 36-sq.ft portable house named ‘Solo’ on an autorickshaw, to demonstrate possibilities of creating hygienic, proper housing even on a small space with proper design. “During my studies, I did research on slum dwellings. I did visit a few slums and felt that with proper design, those spaces could be utilised in a better way. In many places, they would have constructed a house spending ₹.4-5 lakh. But it would not have a toilet”, he said. Through small scale architecture, affordable housing could be promoted in the country.
“I chose an autorickshaw keeping in mind travelling people, like gypsies. Gypsies are often seen moving around dumping their materials in an autorickshaw. Once they reach a camping place, the vehicle would be idle and they would be living in tents with no proper amenities”, said Mr. Arun.
The house-on-wheels consists of all necessary amenities such as a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, toilet, foyer, terrace area, an additional space for a vendor to do sales, and an upper-level lounge with a shade. Special Arrangement
Excluding the cost of autorickshaw, the venture cost him ₹1 lakh, with the house-on-wheels consisting of all necessary amenities such as a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, toilet, foyer, terrace area and also additional space for a vendor to do sales, and an upper-level lounge with a shade.
Mr. Arun said the entire house was constructed in five months, using scrap materials. “Since it is Namakkal, there was enough availability of scrap materials. Through this, we have also expanded the life span of discarded materials like metal scrap”, he said. “The house is attached to a vehicle with four bolts and it is provided with supportive stands”, he said. Mr. Arun has installed a solar panel that could produce 600W of power and a facility to boil water using coal or firewood. Mr. Arun, who runs a design and architecture firm in Bengaluru, said “There are many who would dream of owning a home or might be wondering how to construct a house on a small space. Small scale architecture is a good option for it”.
Mr. Arun said he had applied for a design patent on the autorickshaw house and was also working on four similar ideas.
