Kimberley Mok is a former architect who has been covering architecture and the arts for Treehugger since 2007.

As global housing prices have gone up during the last several years, so has an interest in smaller, more affordable options. Those living in denser urban areas have gone the route of micro-apartments, while others who prefer the do-it-yourself route—or something a little more rurally located—might opt for tiny houses.

Some might also aim for the best of both worlds by going for a prefab unit that combines much of the advantages of a tiny house-inspired layout with the ease and convenience of prefabrication. Companies that cater to this niche are popping up everywhere from Australia and Singapore to the Netherlands, as well as pay-as-you-live schemes from Germany and disaster-resistant tiny prefabs from Argentina.

In Spain, Madrid-based architecture firm Delavegacanolasso is jumping into the fray with its elegantly minimalist series of prefab tiny houses, called tini. This line of uber-modern units comes in a variety of sizes, with the company recently delivering one project for two clients located near Cuenca. The couple's intention is to have a place that is ready to occupy, while they take the time to plan and build out a larger main house in the future.

Seen here is one version of the tini M model, which measures about 366 square feet (34 square meters), and is clad with a semi-oxidized steel facade that has been weathered to allow it to blend in with its surroundings. In addition, there is quite a bit of glass from floor to ceiling, which permits an abundant amount of natural light into the interior of the tiny home.

Admittedly, it's a lot of glass, which can sometimes be problematic, but the idea here is to have lots of sunlight, and enable these glass walls to slide open in order to connect the indoors with the outdoors. Of course, there are optional fabric blinds that can be added, which can allow occupants to control the amount of sunlight (and therefore heat) that comes in.

As the designers explain, the clients chose the tini M due to a number of factors, including it being well-insulated with 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) of Geopannel's recycled cotton in its walls:

To ensure that the light-filled micro-home has some form of natural shading, it has been strategically located on top of a somewhat elevated area, under a large evergreen oak tree that is native to the region. The largest window has been carefully oriented toward the northwest, providing views out to an oak grove nearby.

As the designers explain, all tinis have a range of optional add-ons that can be installed depending on the site, such as a water tank, septic tank, or solar panels and batteries, which can allow an off-grid implementation. In the case of this particular tini M, the clients chose to create an off-grid micro-home, a place to live lightly but comfortably while they plan out their next steps in constructing a larger main house, after which this micro-home can be then converted into a guest house.

To offer a warmer contrast to the steely exterior, the interior has been finished with a lot of wood, including walls and ceilings done with panels of high-quality birch wood, oak flooring, and furniture crafted out of pine wood. Underneath the walls, one will find a structure made out of recycled steel.

There is also a sleek, black-painted wood stove in the center of the home to provide supplementary heating during the winter.

The sleeping area is situated at one end of the tiny house. The couple has opted for a simple, queen-sized bed that lies low to the floor.

At the other end of the house is the kitchenette. It's minimalist but functional, featuring a waterfall-style counter, sink, two-burner stove, under-cabinet LED lighting and plenty of cabinets for storing utensils and food.

Behind the kitchen, we find a bathroom that has a shower, toilet, and a sink with a counter made out of sealed wood, with a clever cut-out made for hanging towels.

Besides offering a range of different sizes, add-ons, and custom configurations for its tiny prefabs, tini also ships within continental Europe, and the United Kingdom. To find out more, visit tini.

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