Shipping containers are revolutionizing data center construction. They have even sparked a neat, inexpensive, and often awe-inspiring, sustainable housing niche. Now one one firm is taking the container concept down a different path, one that’s in keeping with the “Future City” theme of the upcoming Little Tokyo Design Week in Los Angeles.

Daiwa House Group is blending the container concept with green tech. Aimed at providing emergency housing, the EDV-01 employs solar panels and a fuel cell to provide electricity, a lithium-ion battery pack to store it and a water harvesting system that soaks “up to 20 liters of potable water a day from the air, which enough for two adults to live on for about month.”

All neat stuff, but the real draw is how the EDV-01 incorporates some zero-construction, pop-up shape-shifting. Here’s how it works:

With the flip of a switch, a hydraulic pump raises the walls in four and a half minutes to form a second floor.  The first floor contains a kitchen that utilizes induction heating for cooking, a shower and a bio-toilet.  The second floor has fold-away beds and an office space with a separate desk.

The whole thing is kept upright by four hydraulic stabilizers that pop out of the corners. Awesome!

If you find yourself in Los Angeles between July 14-17, 2011, you can check it out yourself. In the meantime, check out these cool videos at Treehugger.

Thanks Chase!