#HTE

This Self-Sustainable Micro-Home is Coming to Times Square

Ecocapsule first captured the imagination of the nomadically-inclined in 2015 when the sleek, egg-shaped design was first revealed. The Slovakia-based company won fast acclaim and was even shortlisted for the Lexus Design Award that year, followed by several years of further development and a very limited edition sale run of 50 units last year. Now, ready to open up to the US market, the clever micro-home is taking temporary residence in an unlikely venue—the center of bustling Times Square—where NYCxDesign visitors will be able to walk through a sample pod and get a sense for what off-the-grid, capsule living would be like.

Entirely self-sustaining, each Ecocapsule contains a 9,744 watt-hour battery, a 750 watt wind turbine, and high-efficiency solar cells that can support two people for about a year in virtually any location (it’s even been touted as a potential solution to homelessness, though current high costs—one will set you back roughly $98,000—make that seem unlikely).

Designed by Nice&Wise Studio, each capsule has a rainwater collection and filtration system, a kitchenette with running water, a composting toilet, a shower, built-in storage, a foldable double bed, and a fold-down table in about 88 square feet of usable interior space. The solid exterior shell measures 7.8 inches thick and allows the egg-shaped pod to be placed in locations with temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit or as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

“It has been a long time coming and we are very excited to launch Ecocapsule in the U.S., this is an important market for us and we already have a lot of supporters here,” says Tomas Zacek, founder, CEO and design director of Ecocapsule. “We are looking forward to meeting people and showing them what Ecocapsule is about, and we also expect to find new distributors and attract businesses for cooperation.”

Ecocapsule will be on view at the Design Pavillion in Times Square from May 10 to May 22, 2019.