New York-based architecture firm Stereotank has collaborated with Japanese designer Takahiro Fukuda to produce Taku-Tanku, a tiny house that consists of two 3,000-liter (670-gallon) plastic water tanks that are connected by a ring of cobia wood. The shelter is portable and able to float.
Taku-Tanku was designed for the Little House Competition in Saitama, Japan. The portable structure was intended to be compact and affordable. The interior measures 9 square meters (96 square feet). The structure has room for a bed and desk area. It has enough room to sleep two or three people and has a compartment to store luggage or personal belongings.
The wooden ring incorporates an entrance and skylight into the structure’s design. The tiny building has solar-powered LED lights. The Taku-Tanku does not have a kitchen or bathroom. It has fans and hatch windows to provide ventilation.
The Taku-Tanku is designed to be environmentally friendly and easy to produce with off-the-shelf and recycled components. The Taku-Tanku was intended to be a sculpture that celebrates the role of water in people’s lives.
The Taku-Tanku rests on a two-wheeled trailer. Stereotank says the portable structure is light enough to be carried by one or two people or towed by a bicycle or car. Since the water tanks can float, it can also be towed by a boat.
Stereotank has experience designing interactive installations and over-sized musical instruments. They often use recycled rainwater tanks for their designs.
Stereotank and Fukuda believe the Taku-Tanku portable structure could be used as a disaster shelter. Stereotank is currently looking for a sponsor to fund a prototype of their design.