Innovative Fab Lab House: Modular Prefab Design with CNC Precision and Adaptive Solar Power

The Fab Lab House, designed and manufactured by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), captivated visitors at the Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 in Madrid, earning the coveted People’s Choice Award. More than 20,000 people toured the innovative solar home, making it one of the most popular exhibits at the competition.

While Prince Felipe of Spain likened it to a wooden boat, the unique prefab structure garnered a variety of affectionate nicknames, including “peanut house,” “cinnamon submarine,” “forest zeppelin,” and “whale belly,” reflecting its unconventional and eye-catching design.

Daniel Ibanez, co-director of the Fab Lab project, emphasized the team’s focus on creating a livable space. “We wanted to achieve a very human house…a house to live in more than a technology showroom,” he explained, highlighting the design’s departure from purely technology-driven solar homes.

However, the Fab Lab House didn’t shy away from cutting-edge technology. It incorporated highly efficient flexible solar panels, developed through a collaboration between American and Spanish companies. This innovation sparked significant interest among visitors and industry professionals, representing a major step forward in the use of flexible solar panels on building facades and roofs. The project aimed to redefine the concept of a solar house, moving beyond the traditional image of a conventional house with added solar panels.

Vicente Guallart, Director of the IAAC, saw the competition as a catalyst for innovation in architecture and construction. He advocated for future competitions to prioritize passive energy solutions in building design, emphasizing the importance of outdoor space and the social aspects of energy use.

The Fab Lab House has garnered significant media and public attention and is now available for purchase, starting at €45,000 + VAT. It can be configured in various sizes, including Villa, House, Studio, Shelter, and Cottage models.

The Fab Lab project involved a global network of experts, engineers, and architects from 20 countries, collaborating with the Center for Bits and Atoms from MIT and the IAAC. Key partner companies included Schneider Electric, Endesa, Visoren, Santa & Cole, Roca, Vincon, and Nani Marquina.

Design Philosophy

The Fab Lab House embraces a distinct industrialization model, leveraging digital design and personalized fabrication techniques to create adaptable solutions. It redefines technological efficiency by prioritizing accessibility and user participation, empowering inhabitants to transform their living spaces.

The design distributes intelligence throughout the structure, ensuring that each component contributes equally to the overall technical, energy, and structural performance. The project emphasizes an open evaluation process, incorporating feedback from all participants to guide its ongoing development.

Form Follows Energy

The Fab Lab House operates on the principle that “form follows energy,” functioning as a climate-passive structure that utilizes natural resources like sun, water, and wind to optimize habitability. The house is envisioned as a living organism, capturing energy with its solar “leaves” and distributing it to its “roots” for storage, sharing, or conversion into electricity.

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