Space is a basic necessity, yet a nexus of the Indian population lives deprived of this right. In India, the joint family system has equipped the larger part of the population with a fluidity in small spaces. While small spaces bring cosiness, comfort and a total conservation of energy, it is still seen with a negative lens and not encouraged among the privileged and elite.

It's an inhouse project by The Billboards Collective to explore the delights of space utilisation and temporary housing with solo.01. Solo.01 is a portable unit that is extremely small but comes with a kitchen, toilet area and a terrace. Arun Prabhu designed the unique invention atop an autorickshaw to highlight the lightness of the unit and feels there is much scope in India for small spaces. Solo.01 is a perfect temporary accommodation for construction workers, nomads and people who require an affordable shelter during budget-travel. The modular prototype is designed in the size of a coffin, literally, to create awareness about surviving in minimal spaces.

Affordable Housing: The structure is 6ft by 6ft in size and is made of steel, aluminium and discarded metal scraps. It comes with a detachable body and two poles that enable it to be fit on any good-carrier vehicle. The entire unit is solar-powered and comes with a terrace at a height of 3.5 metres. Despite the constraint in space, it is extremely airy and well ventilated and is solar-powered by 600w.

A bonus is a 250-litre water tank that is attached to the modular unit and the toilet has a grey water tank attached to the bottom of the unit which collects and disposes it off in safe spaces (where?)

The project took around five months but is a call to the country to use space sensibly and build the perfect manual to survival come worst-case-scenarios. The best part? The lack of space is a boon to nature by conserving energy, water and not disturbing its surroundings.

The idea was inspired by the spatial efficiency practised by nomads and slum-dwellers who are often on the move, but never once waver in step in-spite-of their miniscule spaces. This project was mainly to inspire and educate people about space utilisation and how it can be fluidly incorporated in India.