Home of the Future

Today’s blog article by ShBarcelona would like to give you an insight in the house of the future. These are new types of buildings that we will hear a lot of in the next few years, as they will provide us with a roof over our head.

There are several trends when it comes to homes of the future, like a tiny house that is smaller than a regular home, but still meets a person’s requirements. Another trend is a prefabricated house.

Don’t be mistaken though, because these new types of houses have absolutely nothing to do with the image of a small, wooden shed that might have just popped into your head.

Related article: What is coliving?

Table of Contents

Discover houses of the future

Smart home

When Microsoft was asked to define the home of the 21st century, it came up with the concept of a smart home. A smart home allows you to manage all of its functionalities on a device, like your mobile phone or tablet. The advantage of a smart home is the fact that you can have total control over your home through a digital tool.

Photo via Pixabay

Among many other functions, a smart home lets you remotely manage different functions, like raising the blinds, playing messages on your answering machine, starting background music, disconnecting your phone, using the intercom, dimming the lights, controlling the heating, etcetera.

Nowadays it is already common for many houses to have smart home elements, but as you may have guessed, this will only increase over the coming years. Even your voice can be used as a tool to manage smart appliances.

Sometimes it is not even necessary to be at home when you want to stop or start something at home. You can, for example, start the heating with an app on your mobile phone, which means you will arrive in a comfortable and warm home after work and doing your grocery shopping.

Certain kitchen appliances can also be activated. You can have the coffee pot ready by the time you get downstairs, or have the food ready in the crock-pot after your evening yoga class. What more could man possibly ask for?

Tiny house

While in some developed countries the housing stock has decreased, it can be the exact opposite in other countries. The main reason for the increase in housing is that many people are now enjoying a better economic status, and as a result they build more square meters with more luxury, so larger homes.

But not everyone agrees with the “bigger is better” concept of living. There is a movement saying that you don’t need much to live comfortably. You can live in a smaller house and still have everything you need.

The tiny house movement started in 2008 when we experienced the financial crisis. Suddenly living in small homes was more tempting and interesting. Not only could more people afford a tiny house, but it also meant less maintenance and utility costs and less pollution.

Photo door Inhabitat via Visualhunt

Any country or society that values space above anything else has not yet caught up with the trend. But things are about to change…

Tiny house prices are, of course, cheaper than the price of a larger house. The fun thing is that a tiny house has every function a normal home would have. Space is optimized and the interior is often of a multifunctional design. This creates a custom home with all the comforts you need.

Prefabricated house

Another alternative for building a futuristic home, which has become more popular in Spain, is the prefabricated house. A prefab house is divided into sections and elements that are constructed in another place, but transported to and built on your property.

Prices of prefab structures are, without any doubt, the reason why they have had such a positive impact on the Spanish housing market, because prefab homes are 30% to 40% cheaper than a conventional home, even if it has the same dimensions, installations and finishes.

There are many types of prefabricated houses, from a small storage unit in the garden, to a large, modern building with the latest technology.

The materials that are mostly used with prefab homes are wood and reinforced concrete, which means you can have a lot of influence on the design. The advantages of a prefab house now allow many people to finally let their dream home become reality.

Do you see yourself living in any of the houses of the future we have mentioned?