Researchers at Virginia Tech are building another prototype for the next generation of homes after the first so-called FutureHAUS was destroyed in a fire earlier this year.
The original had movable walls, countertops that charged smartphones and a closet that helped pick outfits. The university spent three years building the home, only to watch it burn inside the campus warehouse where it was being stored about a month after the finished product was displayed for the first time.
Blacksburg Fire department investigators determined the fire was sparked by an electrical malfunction in the FutureHAUS living room. Joe Wheeler, the researcher in charge of the project, says he’s not convinced the experimental house was to blame.
Wheeler said that he and the university are still committed to the manufacturing concept behind FutureHAUS, and there was “no question” it would continue.
