How to invent and develop new forms of housing that could reflect our contemporary lifestyles where frontier between life and work, private and public spheres are blurred by extreme mobility and flexibility.  How to create affordable places to live, work, create, play while developing sustainable building and vibrant places for the existing surrounding community and its new users ?

Following a one-year research at Villa Medici - French Academy in Rome this research aims to develop the basis for a new collective living embedded in economical and constructive realities, exploring models which question ownership while promoting new social contracts between inhabitants.

Proto-Habitat is a 75 sqm unit offering flexible space suitable for living and working, designed following criteria of privacy and intimacy rather than functions. The 75 sqm based-unit is expandable to different sizes depending on urban or rural contexts, from individual housing to collective and vibrant buildings.

Proto-Habitat is nomad.
It is mountable within 5 days by three people using a truck crane. It is easily dismountable and transportable. Designed to be mountable/dismountable with light handling, it does not need foundations or marking to be settled on a site. It can be installed in a great variety of spaces. Proto-Habitat is conceived to answer new needs for urban or rural settings while remaining flexible in time.

Proto-Habitat is flexible.
Proto-Habitat is an entirely living - working flexible space. Proposing adaptable spaces from 15sqm to 30sqm, its total area can reach 90sqm. Conceived with a principle of neutral spaces without preconceived functions, the spaces can be adapted to different life equation and living/working balances following easily its inhabitant lifestyle. They are spaces to live, work, make offering quality and simplicity, frugality, and flexibility.  

Proto-Habitat is sustainable. 
It is entirely built with 100% timber materials originating within 500 km around Bordeaux. It is constructed with selected products and sub-products from the local timber industry. All products are coming from virtuous local economies applying waste management and exemplarity in timber industries and forests, ensuring the inhabitant total control and traceability on its living environment.