MIT Media Lab and designer Yves Béhar have collaborated to create Ori Systems – a smart furniture system that maximises the use of space in micro-apartments.

Designed for apartments with less than 28 square metres of space, with just the touch of a button you can transform your bedroom into a living room or home office. Ori Systems operates as a compact module with a bed and closet on the one side and a home office and entertainment area on the other.

Researchers from MIT’s CityHome project have also developed actuators, electronics and software that enables the user to connect the module to a smart phone app that allows you to move the furniture to your preferred position before you arrive home.

Developers in the US will be incorporating Ori Systems into new developments in Boston, Washington DC and Seattle to maximise the value and living experience of increasingly popular micro-apartments.

For more information, visit orisystems.com.

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A collaborative project between architect Clara da Cruz Almeida of Collaborate000 and interior and product designers Dokter + Misses was just launched at Sanlam Handmade Contemporary FoodWineDesign Fair in Joburg.

Locally designed and manufactured, the iDladla / lifePOD is a “modular, prefabricated nano-home” designed to challenge existing outlooks on urban and sustainable living solutions in Southern Africa.

The idea behind this compact 17sqm structure is that it will use minimal resources (thereby lowering costs) and create a convenient, comfortable and functional space for homeowners.

While each singular unit can be customised to the individual homeowner’s specifications, due to its modular nature, it’s also possible to combine more than one unit to create a larger property.

While the cost of a unit hasn’t been finalised yet, the team currently estimates that it could cost between R200 000 and R700 000 per unit.

For more information about this project, visit pod-idladla.com.

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