The advent of tiny houses on wheels has redefined the concept of mobile living in more ways than motorhomes or van homes did. Travel trailers have their advantages when it comes to the convenience of movement, the possibilities of customization, and the freedom of living a low-or no-debt life. That said, the ground-level accessibility of these mobile living units has been a big impediment in their adoption by the mobility impaired.
Such mobile homes are based on trailer chassis and cannot fully lower to the ground when docked. This creates a low step-in for the wheelchair-bound, who require a ramp that generally push back the interior space in the layout. How can a mobile unit fully lower to the ground has been a looming question, which the Expandable Touchdown intends to address with its Reddot awarding-winning mobile spaces.
Designer: Expandable Trailers
Dutch company Expandable’s Touchdown is a flexible mobile unit easy to transport as any trailer. With its retractable axle bogie that moves from below the unit to rest on the front (possible via an integrated control panel), it can have a low step-in height – flat down to only 35 centimeters off the ground – without compromising the interior space. The first tiny unit on wheels to do so, the Touchdown is accessible for people with mobility impairments without additional ramps and modifications.
Providing an interesting alternative to traditional travel trailers, the Touchdown will redefine boundaries of mobility and flexibility for many. Especially those seeking mobile units to set-up temporary roadshows, on-the-move offices, mobile classrooms, and makeshift hospitals in events of emergency. The applications and customization possibilities of such a unit are high: You can tow it by a normal or low-deck truck, set it up in 15 minutes, lower the entrance, and use the interior however you wish to.
Expandable’s provides a few cosmetic customizations to the Touchdown which has almost edge-to-edge glass panels on either side, and a spiral staircase from the back to the roof terrace, spanning across the length and breadth of the trailer. The customizations available include the choice of electric entrance door, air conditioning, and heating.
