Miquel Parera has a background designing boats so when he moved on-land to build a tiny living space, he drew much from his nautical experience.

His 4 lab design is a 24-square-meter (258 square feet) prefab space that can be assembled in 3 days by anyone with some DIY skills.

Just like a boat, the 4 lab is an off-grid solution that Parera designed not just to rely on wind and solar, but is wired with just a 12 volt DC current*. “We think that a relatively small structure like this, even one 2 or 3 times bigger, 12 volts these days is totally feasible in terms of lighting, appliances and even climate control.”

In this video Parera shows us his 4 lab space – designed for Aria Domus and on display at Barcelona’s Casa Decor – and talked about a future of home energy independence that is a present reality in the marine world. “It’s because with boats when you’re at sea, the plug doesn’t reach the port.”

[*Note for those with little electrical experience: 12 volt wiring requires much less energy not just on a system-wide basis (e.g. with our electrical grids), but within the home as well. Since most of our electronics require just 12 volts, we plug in those “wall-warts” to down-covert the 220/110 currents to charge our cellphones or cameras.]

Información en castellano (idioma original del vídeo, con subtítulos en inglés):

• Aria Domus 4 Lab es un espacio independiente de 24 metros cuadrados. Es una propuesta de casa autónoma e independiente a 12v que también emplea energías alternativas (paneles solares, energía eólica), así como sistema de recogida de aguas.