D*Dynamic: A Shape Shifting House Design by D*Haus

These days, all it takes is a flick of a button to get your house cooled down or warmed up to the perfect temperature. But what if your humble abode could take things one step further and change form to accommodate all four seasons? This may sound like a home of the future, but one pair of London architects are attempting to bring this concept closer to reality with a shape-shifting design that’s sure to turn heads.

The D*Dynamic, the brainchild of David Grunberg and Daniel Woolfson of firm The D*Haus Company, is a one-of-a-kind design concept that blends mathematics with architecture. Inspired by the Haberdasher’s Formula by Henry Ernest Dudeney, in which a perfect square can be transformed into an equilateral triangle, the D*Dynamic “literally unfolds itself” to take advantage of the warmer weather and its surroundings, or simply closes up into a square with small windows and high thermal mass as the winter sets in. The main component of the house, which is also the largest, would remain stationary with a solid foundation while the other three components would be able to fold out on rails and open up, turning doors into windows and allowing internal glass walls to become facades. The dynamic house can morph into at least 8 different configurations, all with the intention to give you the most sunlight along with the best view in the house as day turns to night. Each component is made weatherproof and sealed so you can enjoy the outside world from the comfort of your home, and when linked allows a seamless transition from one inner space to the next.

The layout for the first prototype consists of two bedrooms, a bathroom and open-plan living space, but there is room for adaptation as the pair claim that this house has been designed to work practically anywhere in the world. "It was originally devised as a home for Lapland to deal with extreme temperatures," explains Woolfson. "Not many people know it, but they have warm summers and also really cold winters." Apart from providing maximum warmth, sunlight and protection from the elements, the D*Dynamic design concept looks as though it will save you money on energy and heating in the long run, providing owners with a sustainable solution for everyday living.