Welcome to Prefab profiles, a current series of interviews with people who build our houses. From Prefab tiny houses and modular cabin kits to entire houses that are ready for the ship, their projects represent some of the best ideas in the industry. Do you know a Prefab brand that should be on our radar? Get in touch!
For the architect and Majamaja co-founder Pekka Littow, it was an exercise to show people the potential of self-wearing houses in order to reduce our trust in resources. The first hut in the Majamaja Village was built in 2020, and there are now four along a picturesque coast with a view of the archipelago outside of Helsinki.
Since there are no streets or connections there, it was crucial to minimize the effects of the retreat on the environment. The prefabricated elements of the cabins, including the vertical wooden cladding and the crispy gable, make it easy to get off while lending a Nordic aesthetics. The patented sanitary module of each cabin, which enables in combination with solar collectors, wind generators and gray water systems regardless of the city infrastructure, are less visible.
While each hut is its own accommodation, community life provides in the core of the company's ethos. “Majamaja philosophy believes in the skills of people – and even their essential need – to live in the community,” says Littow. “This village creates a feeling of security and enables social interaction for those who want it.”
Read on to learn more about the Majamaja village and what it takes to build along the Finnish coast of Finland.
The huts in the Majamaja village outside of Helsinki are not dependent on the city's infrastructure and are almost exclusively formed elements for massive wood previews.
Tell us about the withdrawal. What was the idea behind it?
Majamaja is an example of how the energy, water and waste management can be treated for life on site. The future goal is to demonstrate that it is possible to switch to a wider -independent life to a broader scale. Majamaja is already researching solutions that serve larger living units and village complexes. I think that self-produced energy or internal water treatment systems for residential buildings will be just as common in the future as any other device or any other device.
The ECO retreat was opened in 2021 in part of the region's archipelago without access or soil hygiene in the region.
Why did you choose Prefab for these houses?
The construction on site would not have been possible without the self -sufficiency of the cabins. The location lacks the municipal infrastructure, and the city was not intended to provide it based on costs. Self -sufficiency means that we could avoid damage the landscape with excavations or air cables.
Thanks to the self -care technology integrated into the sanitary module, no ground changes are required. The structure of this way also saves time because the construction can start quickly and the actual use can begin soon.
Since the cabins are fully prefabricated to the location and the manufacturing process is industrially, rational and controlled, the assembly time is short on site. The cabins can be divided into smaller elements for delivery. They were brought from the ferry for the Helsinki project, so that the natural environment remained almost completely intact.
Solid solutions in the 235 square meter cabins include feast tables and benches.
Tell us more about the functions of the cabins.
Majamaja achieves self -sufficiency from solar collectors, wind generators or sometimes a fuel cell. Clean water is made from salty or gray water using a water cleaning system on board. Water is treated and recycled for reuse. Dry toilets transform human waste into a ground conditioner. All building technology of the cabins as well as energy and water storage are integrated into an internationally patented sanitary element.
Why is it important that these cabins are self -sufficient?
Majamaja brings energy and water management as close as possible to the end user. The specificity of the systems increases awareness of the limited nature of the resources and the effects of your own actions. It enables the management of waste disposal and water and energy consumption by changing personal habits. The advantages that are achieved by one's own actions are personal, direct and visible.
The cabins came asleep areas.
Do you offer these units for sale?
We have several units. The basic model is a 23 square meter cabin in Helsinki, which is located on three people. Soon we build a 40 square meter model (approximately 430 square meters), which contains sleep arrangements for five and the option for a private sauna. A third cabin was developed for areas that need air conditioning. Depending on the device and the desired building technology, the price of the current models is between 80,000 and 250,000 € (approx. 83,450 to $ 260,790).
To expand the project at the island site, we will sell 40 square meter family units with private saunas and the opportunity to rent them through Majamaja. The pricing will vary between € 300,000 and € 400,000 per unit (approx. 312,950 $ and $ 417,264), including the country.
We recently started a Majamaja membership program in which you can invest in co-owners of the Helsinki village. The program offers members of usage rights and rental income, and the first prizes start at € 18,500 per share (approx. 19,300 $).
How long can a customer expect to take the process after taking a deposit?
The preparation of five cabins takes about four months. The establishment of a cabin, including all surfaces, takes about five working days.
Each cabin has a patented kitchen module that is coupled with energy storage and a sewage system with which they cannot be canceled.
Where are your designs currently available?
We currently have construction partners in Finland and France. We deliver all over Europe and even further on sea traffic. It is possible to only acquire the plans for a local building contractor or only order self -care technology if someone wants to use it in their own design.
The sleeping areas look into the living rooms.
Which aspects of an installation do you manage?
We organize the construction and delivery of the cabins to the customer, while the team of a construction company executes the assembly on site. For the building permit, we present the necessary architectural plans that the local operator concludes in accordance with the local requirements. The same applies to electrical and sanitary plans when the buildings are delivered outside of Europe. We offer basic plans for the foundations, which are then concluded by local contractors.
The cabins were assembled without using heavy machines.