A house that may be divided into two in case of divorce

This “Prenuptial Housing' is a revolutionary housing concept designed by a Dutch studio and will be available from 2017.

The basic idea is that the home unit kitchen and bathroom are shared but its construction is expected to be easy to separate as individual components.

The team that designed the house believed to arouse interest among couples in Belgium, Portugal and Hungary, countries with high rates of divorce.

Divorced couples will have a less traumatic separation, at least in material terms with the new concept home that can be divided into two independent parts and will be available from 2017.

Designed in Holland

Designed by the Dutch studio OBA, 'Prenuptial Housing', as the project is called, is a revolutionary housing concept that has been devised by the expert in public relations and pop culture Kbiri Omar.

Apparently while the architect Xander den Duijn from OBA studio was looking for a home with his girlfriend, he was aware of the problems that family and friends had in this regard and thought that a home with these features could help in a future separation process making it less painful, so he contacted his office to help him designing a home that could be divided into two.

Increasing rate of divorce

In response to the increasing rate of divorce and separation, the building, which is currently under development, will consist of a flexible housing formed by various units that can be connected and disconnected without too much effort, or cost.

The former spouses remain as neighbours but the houses are fully independent because even the interior, are designed to fit easily to future possible divisions depending on the preferences and needs of the users.

In the unitary house kitchen and bathroom are shared but its construction expected to be easy to separate as individual components, and replacing a simpler interior will be included in each of the parts, according to this Dutch architect.

Living independently from time to time may not be a bad idea

According, to den Duijn, the biggest challenge of the project has been to design a house made of two autonomous units that apparently seem one, a form of design that allows the house to be a single or two, according to flow the relationship.

The young team based in Amsterdam thinks that the house will be available for the international market, as it arouse particular interest among couples in Belgium, Portugal and Hungary, where divorce rates are among the highest in the world.

Although beyond designing an exclusive housing for married couples who dare to buy it thinking about an uncertain future, this concept of housing can also be useful for couples who want to live independently from time to time.

Duijn have it very clear, according to this architect "the house would not solve housing problems of divorced couples, but as a new trend, it could help other families with new and modern needs."

Actually, it is intended for any form of family or families whose preferences may change over time, as it may be a couple who are expecting a child because they will be able to add a room effortlessly to the existing home.

It can be built on water or on land

Inspired by numerous canals and floating architectures of the Dutch capital, this flexible housing can be installed on water or on land.

Like it was a game of Tetris, the building will be constructed from lightweight materials like carbon fibre and semi-transparent timber that allow easy separation in if necessary, and also adapts to different environments.

It is still difficult to know if the building market will accept this new housing concept or how it will fit into the sale marketing strategy. At the moment the small studio based in Amsterdam has already received numerous requests for custom by companies and individuals.

Cautious individuals and couples that presumably do not expect that their marriages will last for ever and have decided to solve the problem before it occur. Very thoughtful….. but not too romantic, I would say.