A modular housing concept designed to reduce the impact on nature and make high-end architecture more accessible.
Various technologies complement the modular off-the-grid vision.
LIVING OFF THE GRID? A SCALABLE APPROACH
TEXT: MALAZ ELNAIEM | PHOTOS: MIMA / JOSE CAMPOS
The central idea behind sustainable housing is to improve the overall quality of life whilst simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint. To achieve this, we need a holistic approach that includes modular and expandable housing, smart building service technology, renewable and sustainable energy solutions, as well as other technological advancements and innovations.
W&P Engineering, in partnership with the ETH-Zurich Spin-off YASAI (www.yasai.ch), is currently researching and developing a variety of industrially scalable vertical farming projects.
Founded on these principles, W&P Engineering has set out to tackle the challenges brought on by climate change and transform the way we live and consume.
W&P ENGINEERING − ALWAYS A STEP AHEAD
HIGH-END ARCHITECTURE MEETS GREEN SOLUTIONS A strategic collaboration between W&P Engineering (www.wpeng.net), MIMA HOUSING (www.mimahousing.com) and Felix Schmid, founder of heed media (www.heed.media), sparked the development of the MUDAR project in Portugal —a forward-thinking concept offering housing solutions for residential buildings and hotels (www.mudar.house). MUDAR’s mission is to create self-sufficient, sustainable housing that combines technically practical solutions with high-end, contemporary architecture. The entire project development is in line with the European Green Deal’s broad objectives. MUDAR − A CIRCULAR VISION MUDAR has developed a system that facilitates a circular form of living with the promise of minimising the environmental impact. The 64 | Issue 87 | November 2021
power of this holistic concept lies within the combination of innovative technologies and prefabricated modular homes adaptable to any environment and place while also adjustable in size. In addition, a vertical farming component provides year-round access to fresh produce.
F UTU R E L I VI N G I n f i n i te Po te n t i a l ENERGY Generation Storage
WASTE Upcycling Reuse
HOUSE
WATER Usage Treatment
FOOD Production Waste
The MUDAR solution is motivated by the will to create a circular form of living that contains and connects the four main factors of living.
W&P Engineering, founded in Switzerland in 1995 by Christoph Waser, is a visionary building service technology company (www.wpe.ch). In 2020 Joel Vogl, a member of the executive board, was named managing director of W&P Engineering Group’s International Division, focusing on energy and environmental solutions. DIVERSE PROJECT LANDSCAPE Aside from MUDAR, W&P Engineering is working on a range of projects in various sectors and places. In collaboration with its technology partners, W&P is on a mission to make sustainable solutions more accessible and become an impactful engineering company in the challenging era of energy transition. W&P wants to lead the way towards a world fully powered by green energy and see a change through the use of available smart solutions: “We need to start using the full potential of technology and truly implement beneficial innovations − for a better future,” says Joel Vogl, CEO W&P Engineering International.
