A Home That Can Be Built in 6 Hours: The Foldable M.A.Di

Imagine if you could assemble your own home in less than one day. With this innovative house, you can do it and without all the hassle of lining up concrete blocks. While most houses take a minimum of 6 months to get built, the M.A.Di home can be constructed within 6 hours only, and is completely safe to live in. Designed by Italian architect Renato Vidal, M.A.Di is a prefabricated foldable house that takes less than a day to install once on site. While prices of most homes are getting high at an alarming rate, the M.A.Di home is an economic, rapidly constructed, and flat-packed housing solution.

At first sight, the M.A.Di home does not look like a common prefab modular houses. Manufactured by wood specialist Area Legno in Italy, the M.A.Di home is built using CLT (cross laminated timber) to create a modular and multi-functional anti-seismic family home. The foldable house is not only sustainable but also withstands earthquakes.

Interestingly, the M.A.Di home does not necessarily need the concrete foundation base. Alternatively, as an environmentally friendly solution, the home is anchored down to the ground using an innovative screw pile system. This preserves the natural landscape and avoids causing any harmful impacts to the soil. You can easily install the M.A.Di home with rooftop solar panels, LED lighting, water tanks, and a greywater system.

photography by © M.A.Di./Divulgação, via CicloVivo

As for the innovative folding mechanism, each M.A.Di module is made of galvanized steel frames with hinges that are designed to accommodate the opening and closing motion.

“Thanks to the home’s steel profile and steel hinges we can open and close this module with ease,” Domenico Antonucci from Area Legno told New Atlas. “When the module is closed and folded for transportation the packed height measures 1.5 m (4.9 ft), and then when it is opened on site, it has a height of 6.5 m (21.3 ft).”

Depending on the customer’s desire, the M.A.Di home can be installed as a temporary or permanent structure.

“According to your need and your financial availability you can customize it in dimensions and materials. M.A.Di construction is ready to live in and is delivered with electrical system, plumbing and sanitary water system, heating/cooling system (air conditioning) and PVC frames,” adds M.A.Di

The Italian architect ensured that the foldable house is not only safe against earthquakes but also durable enough to withstand different weather conditions. For thermal insulation, Polyurethane foam is used, which also waterproofs the home. Meanwhile, the walls are embedded with high-density Rockwool.