Walking House
N55
Walking House is a modular dwelling system that enables persons to live a nomadic life, moving slowly through the landscape or cityscape with minimal impact on the environment. It is a home on legs that is produced from recycled materials. Walking House is not dependent on existing infrastructure like roads, but moves on all sorts of terrains.
Creative Contribution
What was the significant innovation in approach or thinking behind the project/artwork? How can this be recognisably attributed to the involvement of creative practice?
It has a number of devices that aim to make it environmentally sustainable: It collects energy from its surroundings using solar cells and small windmills and there is a system for collecting rain water and a system for solar heated hot water. A small greenhouse unit can be added to the basic living module, to provide a portion of the food needed by the inhabitants. A composting toilet system allows sewage produced by the inhabitants to be disposed of. A small wood-burning stove can be added to provide CO2 neutral heating. Walking House forms various sizes of communities or walking villages when more units are added together.
Design innovation meeting nomadic culture was crucial in the evolution of this project. The project is inspired by a mix of the design of an 18th Century Romani Horse carriage and the latest environmentally sustainable technologies.
Collaboration
What were the disciplinary contributors to the project? What model of research / development was followed? What were factors leading to success / problems?
N55 is a group of four artists and designers.
N55 was asked by Wysing Arts Centre to collaborate with a group of travellers in the area around Cambridge, where there has traditionally been a large population of travellers. After meeting with one of the groups, N55 developed an understanding of how the Romani people where living as a marginal group
Values
What were the outcomes of the project? How were these disseminated to outside stakeholders? What models of value are implied by this project? What was the Impact of the work?
Walking House has recently been perfected to the extent that is can walk (slowly) and cover some ground.
Videos of the house in motion are available online at youtube. The Walking House has also been exhibited at various venues including Radiator Festival in Nottingham 2008. A manual for the project also exists online.
Thinking differently about the home as a flexible entity, with the capacity to be situated on any patch of ground without the user having to have official "ownership" of the land. N55 are opposed to private ownership of land.
N55 decided to review the benefits of nomadic life and create a solution that would allow this style of living to be harmonious with the existing urban landscape.
Links and Resources
http://www.n55.dk/MANUALS/WALKINGHOUSE/walkinghouse.html
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2007/11/n55_walking_house.html
http://www.gearlive.com/news/article/q408-n55-walking-house/
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/n55s_walking_ho.php
