Startup Cosmic: houses of the future will be like Lego bricks and accessible to everyone

Startup Cosmic has created a unique platform for the self-powered home that enables the construction of carbon-neutral, healthy and incredibly efficient homes at high speed and at lower costs, using a "hybrid prefab approach", with parts of the building manufactured in a factory and other components built on site .

The team completed their first model unit, an ADU called the Cosmic Studio that has one level and totals 350 square feet (33 square meters). The compact apartment has a bathroom and an open space for sleeping, living, dining and cooking.

The buildings are built using a simplified process that is faster, more economical and less wasteful than conventional methods, using a modular system of standardized components. The modules vary in size, from 18 to 45 square feet (1.7 to 4.1 square meters), and are grouped into buildings of varying sizes. Fourteen standard modules were used to build the chassis for the Cosmic Studio unit.

Unlike other prefab modular building companies that deliver pre-assembled bulky modules that make them expensive and difficult to ship, Cosmic ships housing modules as flat packs on a small flatbed. The attic, facade and interior walls as well as the doors and triple-glazed windows are manually attached with Cosmic's "click joinery system". These elements are built on site, which significantly increases cost and capacity and speed.

The Cosmics the homes are designed to generate their own energy using minimal energy and without fossil fuels, with high-efficiency LEDs, a smart thermostat and an accompanying app to monitor electricity consumption. Units with kitchens are equipped with quartz countertops and high-end refrigerators, while bathrooms have tiled shower walls and high-end fixtures.

The ADU is designed to minimize energy use with features such as continuous insulation and airtight windows and doors, connection to public water and sewer systems, while generating all of its own electricity. The units are equipped with pre-assembled mechanical, engineering and plumbing systems that include a large battery pack for lithium-ion and thermal energy storage and a rooftop solar array capable of producing seven to 20,000 kWh per year in the California region.

The extra energy can be stored and then distributed back to the grid when possible or to an electric vehicle, allowing the ADU to produce and store both electrical and thermal energy when it is most efficient and cheapest, and distribute it to the household as needed.

Cosmic's ultimate goal is transforming the construction industry by creating flexible spaces that keep the planet healthy. The company is based in the technology center Autodesk in San Francisco, where it will manufacture chassis modules for its first series of homes, working with local suppliers and material manufacturers. Manufacturing and delivery Cosmic ADU it currently takes four to six months, and prices will be announced soon. As climate change and the global pandemic continue to reshape our living environment, Cosmic's sustainable and efficient homes offer a glimpse into the future of housing and construction, which is sure to change dramatically in the future. And the houses will become like lego blocks.