A HOUSE measuring just 9ft by 9ft by 9ft has been created by a Poole architect.

The development, called a micro compact home (m-ch), is the brainchild of internationally-renowned Prof Richard Horden, who also created Poole Study Gallery and the ultra-modern Wildwood in Western Avenue, Poole, where his parents Peter and Irene live.

It has two bedrooms, a lounge, a dining room, a kitchen and a bathroom and is currently being tested by students in the campus of Munich University in Germany where a small village is being set up after 200 architecture pupils helped come up with ideas for the creation.

A number of local authorities in Britain are also said to be looking at the creation as a way of solving short-term accommodation shortages, as the mini-house can be a self-contained home for elderly relatives or teenagers and can be sited in a garden.

The homes can also be grouped in horizontal or vertical arrangements in compact clusters or form larger villages for social or student accommodation or for short stay business or leisure use.

Four functioning spaces define the interior of the m-ch - sleeping, working, cooking and hygiene.

The double bed folds upwards when not in use. A dining and working table provides space for up to five people and can be slid aside for storage access or stowed away completely in the shelf zone.

The kitchen bar has twin levels to serve both the table and bed spaces and the entrance lobby also functions as a bathroom.

Dieter Massberg, head of Munich University's student accommodation, said: "I am sure I can live in this house, not for some years but for some months.

"It's very comfortable, a maximum of comfort in this minimal cube. It's a very intelligent construction."

First published: November 8