LINDA DENG
06 / 2024Architecture / Adaptable Dwelling

Lens on
the Move

A transformable microhome for two nomadic photographers, designed to compress for travel and unfold in response to city, landscape, and community.

Type
Microhome competition
Users
Nomadic photographer couple
Modes
Road · Urban · Rural · Campus
Lens on the Move microhome expanded within a forest landscape
Rural living mode — the dwelling opens toward a larger landscape.
DESIGN PREMISE

One small home becomes four spatial conditions.

The project follows a couple whose photographic work moves between dense cities and remote landscapes. Rather than treating the mobile home as a permanently compressed object, the design changes its section, enclosure, and social footprint. Each mode responds to a different amount of available space—from the dimensional limits of the road to an open canopy shared with other travelers.

01 / FOUR MODES

Movement is organized as a repeatable sequence of compression and release.

The same kit of parts is reconfigured rather than replaced. Walls slide, rooms rise, and the outer frame unfolds so the home can remain recognizable while its relationship to the ground changes.

Axonometric sequence showing four transformation modes of the microhome
Mode matrix — compact travel, vertical urban occupation, expanded rural living, and collective campus space.
  1. 01

    Road

    A closed box stays within transport height and width limits.

  2. 02

    Urban

    The unit rises vertically while remaining within a parking-space footprint.

  3. 03

    Rural

    Interior volumes extend outward to gain light, air, and wider views.

  4. 04

    Campus

    A leaf-shaped canopy unfolds to create a shared exterior room.

02 / SPATIAL ASSEMBLY

Furniture, enclosure, and structure move as one compact interior.

The exploded axonometric separates the canopy, weather layers, timber volumes, furniture, and chassis. Plans and sections then test how sleeping, working, cooking, storage, and circulation remain usable across a very small footprint.

Three-stage technical transformation diagram of the compact microhome
Technical sequence — the compact frame separates, shifts, and opens into an occupied configuration.
Exploded axonometric of canopy, envelope, structure, interior, and chassis
Exploded assembly — environmental shell above a compact timber interior and mobile base.
Plans and sections of the microhome in compact and expanded conditions
Plan + section — vertical occupation, built-in storage, and openings extend the perceived interior.
03 / ADAPTIVE ENVELOPE

A branching frame carries shade, solar collection, and transformation.

The outer ribs combine a leaf-like geometry with a lightweight structural rhythm. Their changing profiles allow the enclosure to fold closely around the travel unit or extend outward as an inhabitable environmental layer.

Structural and form-development diagrams for the branching canopy
Canopy system — leaf geometry, developable ribs, and sequential profiles define the expandable shell.
04 / INTERIOR LENS

A narrow dwelling is composed as a sequence of framed views.

Built-in furniture preserves circulation while windows, curtains, and double-height openings connect one room to the next. The interior becomes both living space and an instrument for observing changing surroundings.

Sleeping loft and work area inside the microhome
Sleeping loft — work, storage, and a framed view share the vertical section.
Window seat and work surface opening toward a forest
Window room — a deep opening becomes seat, desk, and landscape frame.
Long interior view through the double-height microhome
Interior axis — layered rooms remain visually connected across the compact plan.
Kitchen and lounge inside the expanded microhome
Living core — kitchen, bench, curtain, and full-height glazing share one continuous edge.
05 / CHANGING GROUND

The dwelling shifts from private object to social infrastructure.

In the city, vertical expansion protects a minimal footprint. At a trailer campus, repeated units open their canopies toward one another, forming a sheltered commons that supports conversation and a longer sense of belonging.

Compact microhome occupying a standard urban parking space
Urban living mode — a vertical home occupies the footprint of a parked vehicle.
Several expanded microhomes forming a shared campus at dusk
Campus mode / dusk — unfolded frames define a collective outdoor room.
Several expanded microhomes gathered around a fire at night
Campus mode / night — light and repeated canopies hold the social field after dark.
DESIGN POSITION

Mobility is not only the ability to move; it is the ability to belong differently in each place.

The microhome protects a consistent domestic core while allowing its envelope and social boundary to change. Adaptation becomes the project’s main architectural material.

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