Tenkai‒ a Japanese word meaning “Deployment,” “Evolution,” and “Expansion.”
This small residential unit embodies the nature of this word in its design and intention to provide environmentally resilient living in the mid- and post-pandemic world.
The introduction of wheels in the subfloor gives this building mobility behind an automobile and makes it deployable.
Shutter-like structures on the siding allow parts of the building to expand. The packed mobile unit blooms out on both sides to increase the internal space. The interior is further maximized by leveraging transforming, built-in furniture. Sitting areas, sleeping quarters, and working areas all contained within the same square footage deepen the relationship with the space and bring functionality to the
enclosure.
This structure offers a freedom that is still limited in the world today. Tenkai is a strong step toward housing that adapts to the global changes experienced by the pandemic.