If you thought LEGOs were just for kids, the newest in what’s billed as affordable passive construction borrows on the snap together concept with a prefabricated, pop up building design.

Currently in development in France, the PopUp House is constructed by snapping together sections of insulated wooden blocks, then screwing them in place. The solar-powered, environmentally friendly structures also require no heating or A/C systems, reducing their carbon footprint.

Constructed mostly of laminated lumber and wood boards insulated with a 30cm thickness of expanded polystyrene (EPS), the PopUp House is recyclable.Constructed mostly of laminated lumber and wood boards insulated with a 30cm thickness of expanded polystyrene (EPS), the PopUp House is recyclable. It’s also durable: its extra-long, 1.05-meter galvanized wood screws are able to hold the entire construct together tightly. Something that also helps guarantee an airtight, energy efficient, cost-saving environment. The addition of thermovolatic panels, wind turbines and even a green roof can easily turn this passive structure into a positive energy creating source. In other words, the house can make money.

Unlike LEGOs however, you can’t build a PopUp House all by yourself. Construction requires the services of qualified building professionals. But final finishes are another story, since owners can choose just about any custom application they wish and apply them on their own.

So how much will you spend on a PopUp House? That depends on what you want to put into it. But according to the professionals, you’ll need to put aside anywhere from 300 to 360 Euros per square foot of floor space. On top of that, plan on another 1,300 to 2,000 Euros per square meter for the services of qualified contractors. As of this writing, PopUp Houses are available only in Europe, but plans for a North American expansion are in the works.