Design Concept for Extended Living

[Patrick M.]

Saw this in Dwell magazine in an office. I think it is just a concept and not in production, but is from Europe so who knows.

http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/exhib...ving-in-motion/

[Patrick M.]

A description of the concept (thank you Google: Eduard Böhtlingk):

In contrast to conventional caravans, this “marquee” type provides scope for extension by allowing the side walls to be folded down. The 2.2 ? 4.5 m core, which accommodates the kitchen, dining space, bathroom and WC, can thus be enlarged to the size of a small house 4.5 x 6.6 m on plan. The extension areas on both sides are covered with folding tent roofs. These can be pulled down like an accordion to any required height. On one side is a living area with a transparent PVC marquee that can be drawn up in fine weather to create a generous patio. The space on the other side, covered with an opaque tent roof, is used as a bedroom area and can be divided into smaller units. A finely dimensioned, fan-shaped hinged framework was specially designed for the roofs to allow a flat abutment at the base. The floor flaps, roofs and sunshading are operated separately by means of three electric motors. The bodywork of the caravan consists of 30 mm polyester-coated sandwich panels reinforced at the edges – like the furnishings – with steel sections. The furniture was specially designed for the caravan and can be folded up in part. This was necessary to achieve the required flexibility and extendibility. The furniture consists largely of poplar multiplex sheets with a vinyl or synthetic-resin coating.

[Donna D.]

I can see some real advantages of this type of design...not for molded lightweight fiberglass trailers...but for other small slab-sided trailers. Already attached screen room, what a concept!

[Andrew Gibbens]

This reminded me of a hard-sided fold-out built by a member of the T&TTT teardrop forum:





Andrew

[Lex M]

I think it is just a concept and not in production, but is from Europe so who knows.

The designer is a Dutch architect.
It is a design for a design contest in 1986
It has been realized in a new borough of a new town Almere in the Netherlands in 1995.
Click, sorry in Dutch