The Ursa Off-Grid Tiny Cabin Is as Sustainable as It Is Stylish

Inspired by the idea of a living organism, Madeiguincho designed a 188-square-foot cabin that collects, stores, and reuses rainwater and produces food and energy.

Sep 28, 2021 - 22:34

The Ursa Off-Grid Tiny Cabin Is as Sustainable as It Is Stylish

Inspired by the idea of a living organism, Madeiguincho designed a 188-square-foot cabin that collects, stores, and reuses rainwater and produces food and energy.

When Gonçalo Marrote, João Filipe, and Pedro Paredes of Portugal-based architecture and woodworking studio Madeiguincho designed and built this 195-square-foot cabin in Lisbon, they had utopian ideals in mind. "We wanted to reimagine the typical way people live in contemporary society, so we envisioned a new type of dwelling that’s mobile, efficient, clean, and beautiful," Marrote says.

Ursa T.O.W. (tiny on wheels), the tiny mobile cabin in Lisbon, Portugal, designed by Madeiguincho, is wrapped in vertical Thermowood boards. — Located in Lisbon, Portugal, the Ursa tiny cabin is wrapped in vertical Thermowood boards.
Junior Carranca

A large oval-shape window extends from the facade to the ceiling, flooding the cabin with sunlight and facilitating views of the land and the stars and the sky. — A large, oval window extends from the facade to the ceiling, flooding the cabin with sunlight and providing views of the land and the sky.
Junior Carranca

Inspired by the concept of a living organism, Marrote and his team designed the Ursa tiny house on wheels to be as sustainable as it is artful. Clad in caramel-colored wood siding with a massive oval window, the off-grid structure collects, stores, and reuses rainwater, produces food and energy, and is powered by photovoltaic panels and wind turbines.