This Bengaluru firm is creating prefab DIY houses for the Insta-generation

For the longest time, the term “prefab” was associated with ideas of damage control and cost-effectiveness. In London, for instance, the Excalibur Estate, a society of 187 prefab houses, was set up in 1946 to deal with a post-war housing crisis. Except, it was around until as late as 2014, well into a decade that saw minimalism graduate into a trend.

For Anshul Chodha, though, the chant of “less is more” is an absolute necessity in this time of climate change. “Over 15 years of designing homes, resorts, institutions, we realised that the way we built was damaging the planet,” says the Sanctuary Architects founder.

His own frustration with designing an office space on rented premises, only to have to uproot and relocate, was the immediate trigger for designing the Zen Den. Inspired by Japanese spaces, he says, it “fits all functions in the space of 160sqft.”

The Zen Den is no doll house; it features a living/bed room, kitchenette, modular study/dining table, bathroom and a deck. And it incorporates biomaterial like wood cellulose, fibre cement and even coconut husk and integrates the latest in “green” tech, like solar roof panels – all the while being easy to assemble, dismantle and transport. “It doesn’t lose resale value either.”

Chodha believes that the Zen Den could be a solution for low-cost housing; but for now, it’s novel enough to appeal to those who (fuelled by Instagram, no doubt) fantasise about spartan living in the middle of nowhere. “Everything, from tech to relationships, is in flux,” says Chodha. “Who would say no to something that was quick, flexible and instant?”