drawing from age old tradition yet unmistakably on-trend, the notion of the ‘nomadic home’ is increasingly a symbol of spontaneity and simple living. mobile architecture not only embraces an addition to adventure, but also the movement towards a more minimal way of everyday life. global architects like shigeru ban and renzo piano, design brands like ecocapsule and VIPP, and students at london’s royal college of art have all contributed to the theme, creating habitable spaces for seekers of shelter, style and serenity alike.
carl turner – floating house, UK | image © carl turner architects | all images courtesy of TASCHEN
read more about the project on designboom here
‘nomadic homes’ — a richly-illustrated and deeply detailed TASCHEN publication — delves into the mobile architecture movement. divided into five chapters, the volume outlines and explores some of the most remarkable examples of ‘homes on wheels’, ‘homes on water’, ‘homes in a tent’, ‘homes that move’, and ‘homes for those in need’.
francis & arnett – animated forest, south snowdonia, wales, UK | image © epic retreats/owen howells
each section features a variety of structures and schemes from across the globe, including serene floating dwellings, minimal living ‘pods’ and airstreams on the go. large photography, detailed architectural drawings, and dreamy illustrations by salt lake city-based artist russ gray all contribute to an enriching reading experience.
‘a good traveler,’ said ancient chinese philosopher lao tzu ‘has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.’ TASCHEN’s publication highlights both the journeys and destinations that make ‘nomadic homes’ such a fascinating phenomenon.
mikael genberg – manta underwater room, pemba island, zanzibar, tanzania | image © the manta resort
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ninebark – portage bay floating home, seattle, washington, USA | image © aaron leitz photography
tentsile – tentsile tree tents, london, UK | image © andrew walmsley
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fiction factory – wikkelhouse, amsterdam, the netherlands | image © yvonne white
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abaton – ábaton portable home áph80, madrid, spain | image © bureau des métiers
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suricatta systems – SURI (shelter units for rapid installation), alicante, spain | image © david frutos/bis images
N55 – walking house, copenhagen, denmark | image © N55
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ecocapsule – ecocapsule | image © ecocapsule holding
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designer russ gray created 7 full-spread chapter opener illustrations for the publication
pictured above, stacking doughnut and modular flow by archiworkshop
watervilla, omval by +31 architects
1958 chevy viking short bus retro by william winkelman
minimod catucaba by MAPA
woody, land ark prototype by brian and joni buzarde
spread detailing ‘mars one’, a project which aims to establish a permanent human settlement on the red planet
photo by designboom
pages display MINI LIVING breathe by SO-IL | read more about the project on designboom here
photo by designboom
publication info:
nomadic homes. architecture on the move
edited by philip jodidio / illustrations by russ gray
hardcover, 9.5 x 12.5 in., 344 pages
ISBN 978-3-8365-6233-1
multilingual edition: english, french, german
