MAEBB 01 22/23 Final Thesis Design

Self-sufficiency is a timeless pursuit. From monastic hamlets to space exploration vessels, countless groups throughout history have developed self-sufficient structures and practices for a range of purposes.

In recent decades, the pursuit of self-sufficiency has been energized by the recognition of global climate change and the associated need to innovate resilient human habitations which meet contemporary
requirements without relying upon fossil fuels. One extreme interpretation of self-sufficiency also includes freedom of movement. Freedom of movement can be understood in this context as the capacity to
relocate and maintain one’s livelihood independent of any singular place. As ancient nomads were empowered to move freely by collective knowledge of disparate ecosystems, their seasonally fluctuating
resources, and geographically extended clans providing social support networks, so are present-day nomads empowered to move freely by collective knowledge of information and communications
technologies enabling remote work, the maintenance of physically distant social support networks, and the relative ease of access to local resources in unfamiliar locations. The surge in remote work prompted by COVID-19 further catalyzed widespread interest in freedom of movement and the design of structures to accommodate nomadic persons. Generally these can be described as structures which either only exist or are occupied for a short period of time (temporary or rental housing), or structures which are themselves nomadic. Of these categories, mobile structures are particularly compelling due to their alignment with other emerging trends such as modular off-site prefabrication and the prioritization of repurposing or renovating existing built spaces over the erection of new large-scale structures.