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BLUEPRINTS FOR A NOMADIC LIFESTYLE
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Urban Nomad Inspiration
INSPIRATIONIn the late 1940s a young design student in Chicago named KenIsaacs was confronted by a serious shelter problem. Needing
housing for himself and his new wife as well as enough space to
carry out his work but just barely able to afford a tiny two-room
city apartment, Isaacs needed a way to get more practical use
from limited space. With a leap of imagination that anticipated
the Lofting movement that would come some time later, he de-
vised a novel home-made structure of bolt-together wooden parts
which organized the one main room of his apartment into a
two level set of small stacked spaces of specialized function, ex-
ploiting the full volume of the limited room space. This Living
Structure, as Isaacs came to call it, combined lounge, ofce/study,
bedroom and storage all into its one cubical frame structure, its furnish-
ings all integrated and made from the same modular bolted-together
2x2 sticks and simple sheets of press-board. It was like a whole home
intergated into a single piece of home-made furniture which could be
spontaneously adapted to its inhabitants changing needs by
simply rearranging its parts. This immediately drew the atten-
tion of other designers and was soon featured in a number of
magazine article. Intrigued by the versatility of this structure,
Isaacs was soon obsessed with adapting the concept to an in-
nite diversity of uses, evolving it into a standardized system
of modular building he called Matrix which anyone could use
to build just about anything. Thus was formed one of the keyfoundations for a brief but remarkable design movement that
would eventually be known as the Urban Nomad movement.
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Urban Nomad Inspiration
The Urban Nomads were not designing static artifacts
for their aesthetic value or novelty but rather were culti-
vating a new kind of vernacular technology -a system of
DIY fabrication which could be freely employed by any-
one with simple tools and materials. So when they shared
the results of their design efforts it was in the manner of
sharing DIY instructions, not objects. In essence, these
people were the Open Source programmers of their day.
Isaacs spent decades spreading the word about Living Structures and the light living
philosophy they embodied through seminars, articles, and courses conducted in design
schools around the US. Simultaneously, he and his followers continued to experiment
with an increasing diversity of applications, culminating in the development of what
Isaacs referred to as Microhouses; tiny simple buildings based on a stressed-skin ply-
wood structure and using an external support structure based on galvanized steel pipe
joined with modular pipe-ttings. (such as todays Kee Klamp products) The applica-
tion of free-standing housing seems to have pushed the practical limits of the Matrixtechnology. Isaacs succeeded in creating a variety of very interesting structures but he
was never able to devise any systems of weatherproong which could withstand any
extremes of climate or last for long periods. Likewise, his volumetric use of space
tended to create habitats that would be fairly useless for the elderly or the disabled.
Isaacs apparently did not consider this a setback. He intended Microhouses for a no-
madic youth culture, not as anything which might compete with conventional housing.
OPENSOUR
CE
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Urban Nomad Inspiration
The Urban Nomads were a scattered community of young designe
shared a common image of an emerging highly mobile and very soph
ed youth culture which sought liberty through simple technologies
sufciency. It wasnt a back to the earth ideology based on recrea
agrarian lifestyle. It was about living light for the sake of mobility w
liance on self-made artifacts made from common materials and indcast-offs for the sake of economy and efciency, the off-the-shelf pr
of the consumer culture simply being impractical -too expensive, c
some, inefcient in their use of materials and space- for a nomadic li
THEURBAN
NOMAD
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Urban Nomad Contemporary Context
WHAT IS HOME
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Urban Nomad Contemporary Context
YUR
Perhaps one of the
known semi-permane
is the Mongolian Yurt
structures are built u
trellis structure cover
insulation and weath
vas. They are transpor
back, and vary in siz
feet in diameter upwa
large enough for who
live inside comfortably
stitutes for brick and mYurts have proven the
through hundreds of
ing, and are made from
cyclable and sustainab
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Urban Nomad Contemporary Context
COMPACTCompact Living is a key element of Nomadismcarry your life around, your life must be more
Items carried are neccessities, and hence the sp
to live is lessened, more compact and ultimatel
table. Indeed, for some, compact spaces are som
cessity in themselves. Air Hostesses need rest qua
haul ights, and enjoy an arrangement similar t
pod hotel. Workers and researchers in harsh e
(such as the antarctic) require structures that ca
the weather conditions, and these tend to be s
the green pod here. Even entrepeneurs are mak
of compact spaces. Left, a hotel room built insewer pipe provides a compact and private spa
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Urban Nomad Contemporary Contect PORTA
BILIT
Y
Items must be chosen in terms of portability. This is a combination of both co
lightweight items. Often, as with the bed to the left, the construction of an item
it may be packed into a small size during transportation, but can then be exp
use. Below, a trolley system is used to aid the portability of larger items for an
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Urban Nomad Contemporary Context
MATERIAL
Choice of material is crucial. In 1963, the director of
Heineken designed a bottle that, after use, could be
used as a building brick. Sadly, the idea was never re-
leased into the public realm, but the concept could have
changed the way we recycle goods. Innovative use ofmaterials, recycled or otherwise, can help the urban no-
mad to maximize usibility, durability and packability.
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Urban Nomad Contemporary Context
MULTI-USEOne way of reducing the weight, quantitiy and dynamics of items is toensure that items have more than one possible use. A ne example of this
is origami, where one square of paper can form any of thousands of dif-
ferent models. Shown here is the art of Furoshiki, where a single square
of fabric utilised in various ways in order to wrap and carry objects of all
different shapes and sizes. After use, the fabric is simply untied and un-
folded back into a square, ready for another use. If this concept could be
adopted more widely, luggage could hold an entirely different meaning.
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Urban Nomad Specifcation
SPECIFICATION
It is my belief that a nomadic home built for the urban environment must full the following specications:
It must be tranportable on foot, by one person, and hence must weigh no more than 25kg (based on EU regulations for load carrying in the workplace
One person must be able to contruct it up alone.
It must be large enough for two people to move freely inside
It must be inconspicuous in an urban landscape
It must be adaptable, and make use of forgotten spaces such as corners or rooftops.
It must be usable on an everyday basis, and hence must provide the means for basic needs such as cooking, washing, hygeine etc.
It must provide a private space.
It must be realtively cheap, so as to appeal to the target age range of 18-35 year olds.
It must be fairly sustainable in its construction, and have a small carbon footprint; it must touch the earth lightly.
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Urban Nomad Concept
INITIAL CONCEPTDesigned to t into corners and other unusual spaces, this shelter has multiple congurations,
ranging from a simple tube, a tent-like ridgeline shelter, or this wedge like tetrahedron. The
habitant would sleep toward the low end of the shelter, and work, cook and relax in the por-
tion with maximum headroom. The structure, made from a strong but light nylon could have
an insert, as visualised to the right, which could contain pockets, hanging rails or insulation
depending on the users needs. The structure needs no internal support, only a single tie off
onto another structure, such as a nearby building or mast. If such a structure is not available,
a single pole could be used as support. The shape of the shelter is not only structurally strong
but would also deect wind or adverse weather condtions with ease. The upper plane would
be perfect for solar panels, mounted on the fabric, to gain maximum exposure to sunlight.
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Urban Nomad Concept
CONCEPT MODELA scale model of the nomadic shelter concept sketched previously. The centre
a conguration in which, still with only one xing point, the shelter is able t
front and back areas raised, with the front open to the environment. The shelt
into the corner space, with a protected rear entrance. The uppermost triangu
fabric could be used to harvest rainwater, hence providing the shelter with a w
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Urban Nomad Concept
PROTOTYPEA full-scale prototpe, shown here situated on a rooftop sourcing power from a wind
turbine. Rooftops serve the purposes of an Urban Nomad well, as they are largely
unused spaces, and tend to be of some size. Not only this, but they are by default
situated off the streets, and hence are sheltered from the problems one might en-
counter residing on the street. However, rooftop situations are not as sheltered from
the weather, which (especially with this type of shelter) could prove problematic.
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Urban Nomad Concept
INTERNAL SPAC
The exterior shape of this shelter denes the zoning of the internal space. At one end, the
and wide; a perfect sleeping space. In the middle, the shelter is of medium width and tall eno
workspace, then. Further toward the entrance, although narrower, the shelter is tall enough
ly; an entrance hall or showering area. Nearest the door one may sit or stand, though the s
wide enough for one. This space may be used for general seating or perhaps a hygeine area.
spine allows for items such as lamps to be fastened to the structure of the tent, and a variety o
could be designed to suit the needs of each individual user, and to further differentiate zones wi
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Urban Nomad Communications
TOILETSSHOWERS
POWER
WIFI
SECURIT
Y
COMM
UNITY
MATERIALS
FOOD
COM
MUN
ICATIO
NS A code system designed to assist Urban Nomads in sharing knowledge of their other Nomads. The code is decifered in the image to the left, while the linked ima
take you to a digital version of how the code might be used. Essentially, the white ar
a digital screen with qualities much like paper. These will have an adhesive backin
allowing them to be wirelessly updated. Nomads will upload information about sit
phone or over the internet, and the site host will then update the relevant inform
e-sticker, which will be stuck on a lampost or suchlike at the location in question. A
do is look at the sticker, and navigate its various screens to determine the suitab
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Urban Nomad Initial Aids
TOO
MUCH/ENOUGH
A set of aids designed to help an individual con
possessions into only the most necessary items
abling them to become more nomadic, more
Too Much bin bags will display the message
the bags have been used (although the contents w
fully be recycled, not thrown away). The Eno
would come as a set, with different sized boxe
ent sets of things. The box shown here is desig
tain just the right amount of clothing for one
more, no less. When the box is sufciently full, t
Enough, becomes apparent. Less want mean
which in turn means one needs less money, hen
work less and have more time for the important th
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Urban Nomad Catalyst
THE NOMAD LECTURESA LECTURE SERIES SEEKING TO REDEFINE HOME
12 - 18th JULY AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS
HERE
HERE
HERE
HERE
HERE
HEREHERE
STIMUL
As with any social movement, there mu
alyst. In many cases, the roots of a mo
traced back to a particular book or speec
people to act. With this in mind, this pos
series of lectures, The Nomad Lecture
(nomadically) across a city. Each location
speaker, and each speaker covers a diffe
is of concern to someone seeking a m
lifestyle. With any luck, this set of lectthe beginning of a new Urban Nomad