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Construction innovations are already bringing us designs for flat-pack stores, prefabricated homes and modular buildings. Now a United Kingdom-based company, Ten Fold Engineering has developed a modular building that self-deploys in under 10 minutes. Each of the structures offer 689 square feet of space and 706 cubic feet of storage and can be transported to almost any site by a standard truck. The buildings are ready to use and the only tool needed to complete the set-up is a hand-held battery drill.

The structures were designed by British architect David Martin, founder and CEO of Ten Fold, and are constructed using a low-tech counter-balanced folding assembly, which unfurls with no input of power to around three-times their shipping size. The units can be stacked on top of each other, and can be deployed on sloped or uneven ground with no foundation, allowing land that would otherwise sit idle be put to use. They can easily be customised to be used as emergency housing or medical clinics, beach houses, offices, shops – almost anything. When it’s time to move on, the structures will furl back up, ready to be transported to the next location. Ten Fold is also developing unfurling solar panels to generate power for the structures. The units start at around 129,000 USD.

Ten Fold has partnered with G3 Festivals to provide a mobile 40 bedroom unfolding hotel – with bathrooms, beds and furniture all included. They have also seen interest from mining companies looking for remote housing, film companies that shoot in remote locations and broadcasters who are interested in using the structures as mobile TV networks. What other uses can you think of for a portable building that can be erected anywhere in minutes?