This $33,500 home can resist earthquakes and pop up in under 7 hours

MADI

Designed by Italian architect Renato Vidal, the MADI home can be built in six to seven hours with the help of a crane and a three-person construction crew.
The pre-fabricated, earthquake-resistant home could come in handy for disaster situations.
Prices range from $33,560 to $74,300.

Building a traditional home can take anywhere from a few weeks to months, depending on the model and specifications. But in recent years, a growing number of architects have turned to pre-fabricated construction — where parts are built off-site and assembled on-site) — making the process a lot quicker and oftentimes cheaper.

Italian architect Renato Vidal’s MADI home is an A-frame house that can go up in under seven hours with the help of a crane and a three-person construction crew.

As Curbed notes, the homes could act as temporary housing for victims of disaster, since it can be built so quickly and doesn’t require foundational soil. It can also be used for residential or hospitality purposes. The home’s galvanized steel frame helps it resist earthquakes.

Vidal offers MADIs in three sizes: 290 square feet, 603 square feet, and 904 square feet. Depending on the model — some of which include staircases — prices range from $33,560 to $74,300. Each home features two floors of living space, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

MADI

In a factory in Apulia, Italy, wood specialist Area Legno manufactures the timber home’s parts, which arrive flatpacked (similar to Ikea furniture). A third-party construction crew then assembles the foundation, and pulls up the frame using a crane. Lastly, interior walls, windows, and flooring are added, and the electrical system, plumbing, and HVAC system are installed. From start to finish, the process takes six to seven hours. MADIs can be disassembled just as quickly.

This month, the team started selling the home outside Italy. It’s now available in North Europe, the United States, and Australia as well.