Got that spot of land for your vacation home all picked out, but don't
want to a year spend building it? No problem -- if you've got a Hide
Away House.
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When you arrive for your weekend retreat the vacationer simply unfolds
the high tech weather-resistant fabric awnings, which form the large
interior rooms of the house. And before heading back to the city,
simply furl them up like the lid of a roll top desk.
Why fabric? Inventor and designer Michael Jantzen chose the material
for its low cost, durability, and figurative and literal flexibility.
Modern outdoor fabrics can withstand a great deal of weather
punishment, which makes sense for when the home is occupied.
But a cloth home that spends weeks or months vacant in the wilderness
would be too tempting for vandals and wild animals. Hence the roll top
idea.
The structure's shells into which the walls fold are tough enough to
withstand whatever a house can, but cost and weigh a fraction of a
cabin in the woods.
Where to put the furniture though? Living in a fold-up house would
mean sitting and sleeping on fold-up furnishings as well. But hey,
it's better than the cold hard floor of a tent.
Read more:
http://www.humanshelter.org
-- Robert Myers
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