House of the Immediate Future

The 1962 World’s Fair opened at Seattle Center with a modular home, designated the American Home of the Immediate Future.  This home could be customized and would arrive on your lot mostly pre-constructed; with just a few responsibilities left to the new home owners (bolting the modules together, siding and roofing).  These model homes were just what the Baby Boomer generation needed: quick, expandable, affordable housing.  

To celebrate and commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Century 21 Seattle World Fair, Habitat for Humanity Seattle/South King County has been invited by the Seattle Center Foundation to build a House of the Immediate Future and a World House on the grounds of the Seattle Center as part of The Next 50 celebration from April 22 to October 21, 2012.

The House of the Immediate Future will be a two story, 1,400 square foot sustainable home.  Designed by, The Miller Hull Partnership, it is intended to adapt as families grow or life circumstances change.  The house can accommodate a large family.  Some of the interesting features of the house include: some movable walls to reconfigure the large spaces in the house, a galley kitchen, a nook for a home office, and great storage possibilities.  (Photo credit: DeAnn Rossetti, MercerIslandPatch)

Not unlike some of the benefits found in the American Home of the Immediate Future, the House of the Immediate Future will have a two-story prefabricated, stacked wet core which houses the kitchen, bathrooms, mechanical room, and wiring and plumbing.  By assembling the wet core in a factory off-site, caste and construction time are reduced because the plumbing and electrical components are housed in a central location.

The World House will demonstrate the type of construction that Habitat for Humanity uses today in developing countries.  The houses are modest and cost approximately $4,000 to $5,000 to build.  Variations of the World House are built around the world using local materials. Designs vary to reflect local environments, climate, and culture.

Mercer Island Patch composed a wonderful article about the original American Home of the Immediate Future and can be read here: http://patch.com/A-mZkg

For more information about the Habitat for Humanity Seattle/South King County Next 50 projects click here.