Spain needs affordable housing. A lot. Hundreds of thousands, according the estimates of the experts who have calculated the hole that the country would need to cover to get out of the housing crisis in which it has been immersed. That is why it is not surprising that solutions like the one that has just been launched a company of Pontevedra generate expectation inside and outside the sector. Their bet consists of neither more nor less than importing small “capsule houses” Chinese that can be installed in just a few months and are available for a few tens of thousands of euros.
The question is… Will they help solve the problem?
What has happened? That the Spanish real estate market adds a new residential solution. That is news in itself in a context marked by pronounced imbalance between supply and demand and escalation of prices. However, in this case there is another reason why the advertisement has aroused interest: what it offers Caslua Importa company located in O Grove (Galicia), is a solution that stands out for its costs and times. In fact they use a quite descriptive term. What they sell is neither more nor less than “capsule houses”.
Capsule houses? Exact. To be more precise, “modular capsule houses”a term that gives a fairly precise idea of what this Galician company offers. His online catalog It is divided into two categories: houses and modules. All prefabricated and with a range of sizes ranging from 5.8 meters long by 2.2 wide and 2.4 high (it even has smaller modules for offices) to structures of more than 11 meters and almost 40 m2 with a living room, bathroom, bedroom and terrace.
Shapes, sizes and features change between some models and others, but philosophy is always the same: “Compact, efficient housing solutions ready to respond to the needs of housing, work or entrepreneurship.” In fact, those in charge usually emphasize two ideas: costs and times.
The price range moves between 25,000 and 80,000 euros and the house would be ready in a few months. “In less than three you can have a fully assembled house to live in,” assures one of the founders of the firm, Antonio Luaña. “Manufacturing periods are around 30 days and then 60 days of transportation.”
What are they like? It depends a lot on the model, but the company insist in that the capsules are modular, sustainable and can be adapted to be “self-sufficient”. After presenting its offer in media such as The Sixth, Antenna 3 either The Voice of Galiciathis week the signing showed to a hundred businessmen, politicians and neighbors a 38 m2 capsule home installed in O Grove and that includes a bathroom with a jacuzzi, a small kitchen with an oven and hob, a living room and a double bed.
“It is around 85,000 euros. If you take away things from what it has, it can be around 73,000. Prices vary, but the structure is the same,” Luaña points out.
Who makes capsule houses? The news shared by Caslúa assure that these are homes manufactured in China and that the Galician firm is dedicated to marketing them in Spain and Portugal. “When I went to China and saw them, I thought: How is this not in Spain? We have to take it,” Antonio tells.
A quick search shows that in the Asian giant they work this type of small format residential solutions. Glamini includes different modelsalthough it is also dedicated to the manufacture of floating houses or cabins.
Is it something new? Yes. And no. To start the concept of “capsule house” can be traced in foreign markets and in recent months there has been talk about them in other regions of Spain, such as Navarre. In China it is also possible to find several manufacturers. Even AliExpress they have launched its marketing.
The undeniable thing is that the concept has aroused interest and joins a wave that goes beyond the “livable capsule” concept: that of the search for new forms of construction that make it possible to meet the high demand for housing.
In recent years it has been gaining strength, for example prefabricated housingindustrialized and modular, which speeds up construction times without the owner having to give up configuring his residence. It is no longer just a matter of individuals betting on that formula. In recent months in Spain we have also seen businessmen resorting to that same solution to raise a multi-story hotel (it happened in Zaragoza) or even to institutions getting interested for her.
Are they all advantages? The important thing is to know the characteristics of each option. And assess issues such as costs. For example, if we talk about a 38 m2 capsule that costs 73,000 euros, the square meter costs 1,900 euros, which (even assuming that this price includes the equipment) is noticeably above of the prices that are handled in some markets in Spain.
Not to mention that to install a capsule it is necessary to have land that meets all urban planning requirements. The TVG network remember For example, even though they are modular houses, they cannot be installed on rustic land, unless they are linked to an agricultural operation.
Images | Caslua Import
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