Soon, 'smart' house that can change shape to face the Sun

British architects have proposed the concept of 'smart' houses that can metamorphosise into eight different configurations to adapt to seasonal, meteorological and even astronomical conditions.

For instance, in the summer plan, bedroom one faces east and watches the Sun rise as its inhabitant wakes up.

It can then rotate so that the user is constantly in sunlight, while the house generates energy through its solar panels.

The revolutionary house is based on the work of an early 20th Century mathematician who discovered a way to dissect a square and rearrange its parts into an equilateral triangle, the Daily Mail reported.

The flexibility of the house allows adaptation from winter to summer and day to night by literally moving inside itself.

Thick heavy external walls unfold into internal walls allowing glass internal walls to become facades; doors can become windows, and vice versa.

The layout consists of two bedrooms, an open-plan living room and a bathroom, but it too can be adapted to suit the needs of different living situations.

British architects David Grunberg and Daniel Woolfson, who launched the D Haus company to develop the concept.

The shape-shifting home was first conceived as part Grunberg's graduation project, for which he designed a house that could withstand the extreme sub-Arctic temperatures in Lap Land, a region infamous for its harsh weather.

The pair's design, which they call 'D Dynamic', is based on the work of English author and mathematician Henry Dudeney, a leading puzzle creator.

In 1903, Dudeney invented a way to cut an equilateral triangle into four pieces that could be rearranged into a square, a conundrum he dubbed the 'Haberdasher's Puzzle'.

The 'D Dynamic' house realises this mathematical curiosity as a solution to living in extreme climates. Sections would fold out on rails so interior partitions could become exterior walls in warm weather.

The whole building could even rotate to follow the direction of the Sun throughout the day.

The creators describe their house, which is yet to be built, as 'a product of an applied mathematical realisation'.

"The D Haus Company is set to cause a revolution in architecture and design by transforming Dudeney's idea from the conceptual, to the physical," the makers said.

The photograph is used for representative purpose only