ZENNIHOME Tomorrow’s home, today BY CAROL KAHN & DORIE MORALES
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Imagine living in a home that is completely self-contained—all of your appliances and furniture come securely fastened in a neat shipping container made of steel. Rooms become multipurpose rooms; the living room converts into a bedroom at the push of a button or a wave of your hand. The dining area turns into an office or second bedroom. You have top-of-the-line appliances, washer and dryer, and a water system that is set up for conservation.
These homes include net zero energy with solar, lithium batteries, including superior insulation and smart home technology. This 640-square foot home feels like a furnished 1,500-square foot home. You have all the essentials you need to live a healthy, minimalist lifestyle. Just pack a suitcase, bring a set of towels and add in all the kitchen essentials. And if you have to move across the country or across the continent, your home moves with you. The shipping container can be placed on a train or cargo ship and brought to your new location. This is tomorrow’s home, today. ZenniHome is the brainchild of Bob Worsley, an entrepreneur and a former U.S. Senator [R-Ariz.] from 2012-2019, and Stephen D. James, Planning and Community Designer of eco-friendly master planned communities including, Daybreak in Utah. “We're trying to build tomorrow's home today. And tomorrow's home, we think is smart. It's connected. It's
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green—it’s Net Zero Energy. And we think that people, over time, will have to start getting comfortable living in smaller spaces that are more high-tech, that feel like they're bigger,” Worsley said. Worsley states that people are spending too much money on homes and their yards. “We come home sometimes, and there's all these things broken and so it's just nice to be able to lock and leave and go somewhere and be able to be free to roam.” ZenniHomes are built inside a factory, while integrating technology into it. “We've created robotic transforming spaces inside, so everything has three purposes, not just one. This is the idea of having multiple purpose rooms. Everything will be standardized globally,” Worsley explained. “Everything has been optimized for cargo ships, trains, trucks, to even lifting devices and forklifts to set the homes in place.” Worsley went on to say that ZenniHome would be the first company building homes, just like we build cars. The steel frame is the size of the container—no wood—and it
