Sliding Hubs Prefab Modular Housing Has 64 Different Combinations

Italian designer Gabriel Aramu has come up with a temporary, modular, portable, prefabricated housing system that can be combined in so many different ways, you'll never have a chance to experience them all. The Sliding Hubs prefab system is built out of modular open ended boxes that can be combined together to form different lengths or slid open to create wider spaces in 64 different configurations. Aramu conceived as these to be used in a variety of situations, from temporary shelters to small urban spaces.

Easily transported and installed in almost any environment, the Sliding Hubs system was designed for flexibility in housing. Each square box is completely prefabricated and includes structural stability, interior finishes, space for utilities in the wall, insulation and an outside rain screen. Sliding Hubs are designed to be built from a system of steel reinforcements that hold the panel “sandwich” horizontal and vertical, which is covered with an external layer of polycarbonate. The boxes can be combined, stacked together and even split apart to create skylights in the ceiling. Ever exposed edge is fitted with a door or windows, which pulls in natural daylight. Since the modules are small, it keeps the over all size of the resulting building small, which means they are easy to light, heat or cool.

So far, Aramu has come up with 64 different ways to combine the boxes to create a huge variety of buildings that can be used as studios, offices, apartments, single family homes or combined in larger ways to create multi-family housing or even shelters. Whether temporary or permanent, the modules are meant to be made of high quality materials in order to be durable. Sliding Hubs could easily fit into the context of an urban environment, but could also be used temporary housing in developing countries. Aramu and his design was recently nominated as a finalist in the Milano Design Camping design competition.