renault synthesizes architecture and autonomous driving with SYMBIOZ

for many, the car has become a home away from home. this year, renault takes this concept a step further as it experiments with integrating the SYMBIOZ concept car directly into a domestic interior — a room within a room. presented at the 2017 frankfurt motor show, the fully autonomous, electric car — together with paris-based marchi architectes — proposes a change in the way humans interact with their vehicles by maximizing the comforts of a car and allowing it to function as additional, livable space.

designboom has continued to follow all aspects of this project, including taking an inside look at the car’s interior conceived by designboom reader aleksandra gaca.

image by fernando guerra

‘the way we use our cars is changing. already a car is more than just a way to get from one place to another,’ says renault’s executive vice president and chief competitive officer thierry bolloré. ‘it’s becoming an interactive and personalized space that connects passengers to other cars, people and objects around them. looking to 2030 we imagine new scenarios with more efficient energy use, connectivity and autonomous driving scenarios that will improve how we live and travel.’

the car and house have energy sources that work in tandem with one another
image by fernando guerra

the car and house work as one unit with energy sources working in tandem with one another in an effort to continue renault’s zero emission strategy. kilowatt-hours are shared between the car and the home on a smart grid and are connected to an artificial intelligence system that anticipates the dweller’s needs. in circumstances like a blackout, the car is able to take on its full capabilities as an energy generator and power the house’s lights, screens, and home appliances.

SYMBIOZ and the home share a smart grid
image by nicolas pivetal

‘no longer can we think of car design in isolation from the ecosystem surrounding us,’ says lauren van der acker, renault’s senior vice president of corporate design. ‘our goal was to explore new boundaries in customer experience, technology, energy use and design harmony to form a completely new global experience.‘ the concept car embodies the company’s projection of the future as renault expands the traditional definition of the personal vehicle. overall, the concept car is projected to be available for test driving later this year.

the two elements are connected to an artificial intelligence system
image by nicolas pivetal

paris-based marchi architects has collaborated with the renault SYMBIOZ team to create the captivating, architectural car installation. the firm continued the company’s vision by creating a domestic interior that embraces the car as an integral element of the home — playing off the car’s aesthetic features in the structure’s architecture details.

the car can be parked on the open roof or stored inside the dwelling
image by fernando guerra

in one of its many configurations, the vehicle can rise to the second floor, and sit above the lower-level living spaces. parked on the open roof, the domestic area below is expanded to a higher elevation and the car’s enlarged, open interior transforms into an intimate, natural oasis.

the interior’s generous cabin space is further maximized by the design’s ability to reconfigure the seats
image by fernando guerra