Lifestyle

Chinese Designers Created A Tiny Home That Can Be Carted Around On A Tricycle

Melissa Stanger

2013-01-07T18:02:54Z

China has taken the concept of the mobile home to a whole new level.

Beijing’s People’s Architecture Office (PAO) and People’s Industrial Design Office (PIDO) have designed and built a mobile home so small that it can be folded up, accordion-style, and carted around on the back of a tricycle.

The fact that housing has become unbelievably expensive in China is not new news by any stretch of the imagination, and residents of Beijing have been living in much smaller spaces for years now. But due to severe overcrowding and the need for sustainable residences, it seems the tricycle house could be an innovative—though not necessarily comfortable—solution.

Somehow, they still manage to make everything fit.

Designers construct the frame out of polypropylene, a wear-resistant plastic.

The tricycle home is put together on the back of a tricycle cart.

Facilities in the home include a sink, stove, bathtub, and water tank.

The tricycle home is completely man-powered by pedaling.

This rider gets a bit of female attention.

A cross section of the tricycle home shows the structure with all the furniture folded away.

All the furniture is convertible: the bed becomes a dining table, and the countertop becomes a bench for seating.

Tricycle house, tiny home, living spaces

The sink, stove, and bathtub are all collapsible, and can be stored in the front wall of the home.

Tricycle House, tiny home, small living spaces

There is even enough space for storage. This unit is holding books and dish ware.

The expandable home can attach to others for more space, or to portable gardens to give the appearance of a “yard.”

Some riders could choose to gather all their homes together in a tricycle home community.

Now check out another innovative space.

See What It's Like To Live In An 89-Square-Foot 'Tiny Home' >

Real Estate China Inventions