I just learned about a new typing of housing – a modular living kit that aims to make better use of empty commercial space. This concept comes from The Hub, a winning entry for the Havensteder housing association’s “how will we live in the future” competition, in the Netherlands.

It targets people who are looking for renting a space, rather than owning a home. Together with the kit and the existing construction of water, electricity, cable and pipes, it only takes a few days to turn an empty commercial space into a livable place. Every kit has a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet plus facilities including heating, a sound system and an Internet connection. Wow!

What’s more interesting is that The Hub is financed by service providers of gas, electricity etc, who also own the construction systems. It would be interesting that in the future, I can call a service like PG&E: “Hi, do you have a kit where I can live for one month?” Feels like such service providers will have a new channel to make money — by renting out the kits, plus charging for utilities.

Although a movable living space is not something new, for example, there are plenty of people driving a well-equipped RV and take cross-country adventures, this kit thingy still shakes me — well, even housing can be reinvented again, what else can’t be?

Currently, it has pilot programs going on, asking tenants to live in a kit for six months, so that they can get a better idea how this will work out. Really curious to know how it turns out.

Learn more about The Hub here. you can also find relevant info on Fast.CoDesign.