The Edge modular home | Boutique Modern

The Edge is a distinctive modern dwelling manufactured in Britain by Boutique Modern Ltd. They produce modular houses that are designed with sustainability and energy-efficiency in mind. One design element that makes the Edge stand out is its exterior framework of galvanized structural steel. Boutique Modern says it was inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Farnsworth House. The steel framework gives the building the needed strength to be delivered from the factory and lifted into place, and to be relocated again if necessary. Unlike the glass-walled Farnsworth House, the Edge’s framework is filled in with a combination of solid walls interspersed with sections of floor-to-ceiling glass. The oak siding, galvanized steel and glass complement each other quite nicely for a pleasing overall appearance.

The Edge comes in two sizes, 12.3 m x 6.75 m (about 42′ x 22′) and 15.5 m x 6.75 m (about 52′ x 22′). Although factory-built, each home is built to order and can be customized by the purchaser. As none of the interior walls are load-bearing, the room layouts and window placements can be changed to suit the client and the specific conditions of the destination site. Typically the smaller version will be configured as a two-bedroom floor plan while the larger version will be used for three-bedroom plans.

The Edge shown here is the show home for Penmayne Edge Park, a small vacation home development in Rock, North Cornwall that will eventually be home to ten of the modular dwellings. As a show home, it contains a number of optional upgrades. However even the base models leave the Boutique Modern factory with a high level of finishes that include engineered hardwood flooring and in-floor heating.

Energy requirements are kept low by the use of highly-insulating structural insulated panels for the walls, floor and roof. The large south-facing windows (window size and placement is customized for the site conditions) allow for passive solar heat gain, and are triple glazed to keep the heat in at night. As a result, Boutique Modern anticipates that passive solar will provide the bulk of the heating. Supplemental heating is electric. To offset a portion of the electricity use, all Edge homes come with one kilowatt of photo-voltaic solar panels as standard equipment, and there is an option for more. Other environmentally friendly features include a rainwater collection system and an optional green roof.

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Photographs courtesy of Boutique Modern Ltd and Higher Penmayne Farm.

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