Ahurewa is a 60-square-meter off-grid micro-house built by five containers to provide natural ecological insulation and the potential for modular expansion. Ahurewa is located in the mountains of Mahakirau Forest Estate in New Zealand. It is a small sustainable house equipped with twelve solar panels, a 4kw system inverter, two 25,000 liters water tanks and a worm composting septic tank system.

Facts have proved that the versatility of shipping containers is much more than the trust we are used to giving them. Initially ignored as a means of delivery, we have seen the container become a backyard swimming pool. Now, the YouTube series "Big Life in a Small House" records an off-grid residence in the Mahakirau Forest Manor. It consists of five 20-foot container.

After living with her husband, Rossi sold her house in Oakland and bought some land in the mountains, where she could start building her small off-grid house. Among the 600 hectares of land that make up the Mahakirau Forest Estate, Rosie’s small house, called Ahurewa to commemorate the surrounding woodland, occupies only 9 hectares of it. Each home site has signed a contract with the QEII National Trust, believing that the landowner is the guardian of the surrounding environment and protects it.

Rosie’s small house consists of five containers, benefiting from natural ecological insulation and durable industrial buildings. Four of the five containers are dedicated to actual living space, while the fifth container only retains the family's mud room. The mud room is mainly used as a transitional space between outdoor and indoor. Inside, Rosie is equipped with batteries, inverters, and power panels used to line the solar panels on the roof, keeping the hum of the inverters at an appropriate distance from the bedroom.

Since Rosie's small house has no power grid at all, the exterior and interior of each container is filled with sustainable utilities and additional equipment. Twelve solar panels are arranged on the top of a container and are powered by a 4 kW system inverter. Outside, two 25,000-liter water tanks and a worm composting septic tank system provide water and supporting purification systems for continued use and safe drinking.

Designer: Rosie x Living Big in a Tiny House

Unfinished plywood is arranged in a bedroom of the house, highlighting the panoramic view of the surrounding environment, which can be seen from the double-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows.

Ahurewa’s bathrooms are decorated with concrete slabs and stained wood to complement the industrial appearance of the house.

This small house is surrounded by an outer deck, with 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains and forests.

One side of the house receives sunlight in the afternoon and evening, while the other side receives morning sunlight, so sunlight and shadows are within walking distance.

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