Modern lifestyle has created a new genre of digital nomads – people who love the outdoors while balancing their work/ tech life. After all, while we crave a digital detox, we can’t really completely cut off from our smartphones. How can the humble trailer designs be adapted to meet their new-age camping needs while maintaining that sacred indoor-outdoor balance? The answer to that is the “NoMad” – a light and resistant vehicle that is presented as a fusion between a traditional tent and a futuristic-looking van designed by the ABIBOO Studio.
Each NoMad creates this balance by designing 3 unique compartments – a wet area that holds the kitchen and bathroom, a living room/guest room/work room, and thirdly a master bedroom that separates from to living room to help you disconnect at the end of the day. The layout of the trailer holds the wet area at the center of the design, automatically creating a barrier/ separation between the living room and the bedroom. Given the space constraints, every bit in the vehicle design holds storage space and hidden seating space. Smart use of terraces means we can leverage the outside space once the trailer is settled in. Overall the design balances four aspects – lightness (hence saving fuel), creating resistance to avoid collisions or overturning of the vehicle, a minimum thickness that provides the best insulation, and finally, an aesthetically packaged home interior and exterior. These mobile homes can be installed in unique outdoor sites. Its size makes it easy to park in the city and in the garage of the main residence, an important condition for those who want to choose when, where, and for how long to stay in one place.
Working from home and telecommuting has showcased the futuristic scenario where commuting is a bare minimum. As journalist Kimberly Mok, author of the book The modern house bus, points out, “The Internet enables a growing number of people to work from home or travel and work full-time, combined with a strong interest in the minimalist lifestyle. It makes us see more people turning their vehicles into homes that they can take wherever they go”. Freedom from location brings to mind new age campsites equipped with great wifi connectivity and other digital requirements – supplemented by bathrooms and a food store, surrounded by a lot of green or endless kilometers on the beach – and meeting likeminded people when they come across your pathway or have a meetup set with your friends. Call me a romantic, but I do think it would make the perfect meet-cute! The future is an evolution of our past when met with today’s challenge to design a future that is uniquely ours, the digital nomads!
Designer: Studio ABIBOO
