IAAC designs Mobile Catalyst near Barcelona

Students and researchers from the Advanced Ecological Buildings & Biocities Masters programme at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) have developed the Mobile Catalyst, or MOCA for short, at the Valldaura Labs near Barcelona. The self-sufficient home is made of cross-laminated timber and can accommodate two people.

Prototype for self-sufficient travellers

The mobile prototype is equipped with basic household necessities. A trailer carries a platform 5.4 m long and 2.4 m wide, on which the 3.6-m-high house rests. At the front and back of the trailer are two boxes: the utility toolbox contains a kitchen, a shower area, a waterless humus toilet box and a supply cabinet for electricity and water pipes. The activity toolbox provides storage for the customised furniture and contains surfaces and tools for activating the central space. There are two beds on a mezzanine level. The total construction must not exceed 3,500 kg.

Convertible space

The central living area can be completely opened up by means of a folding façade of wooden frame walls covered in white, water-repellent cotton fabric. Four glass doors on each side complement the fabric façade, allowing the space to adapt to the weather, the time of day and the needs of the users. When closed, the central space is shielded from the outside world. When open, the interior is connected to the surroundings.

Climate-friendly construction

The cross-laminated timber panels used were produced by the students themselves. The wood comes from the grounds of the IAAC laboratory in Valldaura, in the Collserola Nature Park. Wooden dowels hold the structure together and allow the house to be dismantled and recycled.

Mobile Catalyst draws all its energy from the sun. Graphic © IAAC

Self-sufficient living

The mobile home draws all its energy from the sun and is designed to run 24 hours a day without recharging. On the roof is a set of three slightly flexible monocrystalline solar panels connected to a MultiPlus inverter and a back-up battery. The humus toilet system uses no water for flushing, so black water is only produced during cooking and cleaning. This saves disposal and treatment costs. Shower water is collected in a drip tray and stored in the grey water tank. It is then filtered through a three-stage system, treated with a UV filter, pumped into the recirculation tank and returned to the system.