In Hafnarskógur, Iceland sits a modern and eco-friendly prefab cabin by Latvia-based homebuilders Manta North. As one of the more exciting manufacturers involved in the prefab movement, Manta North has gained international recognition in recent years, and it's easy to see why. Their minimalist contemporary home designs are perfectly refined and extremely adaptable. The ability to design and order your own home entirely online through their innovative interactive website surely as played a part, too.
This home, which sits beautifully between the ocean and mountains in rural Iceland, proves why modular homes—and those made by Manta North in particular—can be a viable approach to simple living in remote landscapes.
With a straightforward design, the home elegantly embraces and blends into the stark scenery around it. The cabin employs a unique configuration of multiple Manta North RAY prefabricated strucures, making clever use of one of the company's two available mods. The result is a sleek, box-like structure with a clean, modern facade made of 5.4-inch panel walls in black-stained timber. The design is strictly contemporary but complements the tonality on display in the Land of Fire and Ice.
The cabin's floor plan spans roughly 850 square feet by combining two RAY modules with a joint passage on the eastern wing. This setup allows the home enough space for a fully equipped kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom while leaving additional space for living. The modular cabin's light and open atmosphere brings views indoors, and an open patio and large window panels on all sides enhance that concept.
The layout, which includes a wraparound deck that pulls double duty as an outdoor hallway, bridges the gap between the interior and exterior, allowing for seamless flow when moving throughout the home.
Through innovation in sustainable living, Manta North fabricates all its homes with radiant floor heating, high-grade CLT (Cross Laminated Timber), upgraded insulation, smart-LED lighting, and thermally treated wood. These upgrades turn a relatively simple design into a high-performing, energy-efficient home that can withstand any climate, including the rough weather of West Iceland, where winds can gust above 150 miles per hour in the worst storms.
This Icelandic cabin is a quiet escape that offers serenity and solitude to any who visit. And visiting is finally possible again now that the country has lifted its travel restrictions—and you can book the cabin on Airbnb for ~$290/night.
Published 11-03-2021
Updated 11-04-2021
