ROME – The race to create the transforming caravan capable of increasing the available space knows no obstacles. A solution widely sought after by manufacturers which makes it possible to make available a large overall surface area compared to that otherwise available with the caravan in a travel configuration where the overall dimensions must necessarily be contained as much as possible. Thus, thanks to the creativity of the Dutch designer Eduard Böhtlingk, “De Markies” (awning) was born, which made its debut in 1985 as a participant project in the “Temporary Living” architecture competition.
As the years went by, the project continued its development and in 1996 the prototype won the public prize at the Rotterdam Design Prize, giving a further boost to the refinement of the work. Today De Markies is ready to be launched in series production and the final version will be exhibited next spring in Geneva as part of the “Open House” exhibition which hosts 40 innovative architectural and mobile design projects.
When closed, the Dutch quick-change caravan comes in compact dimensions, 4.50 meters long and 2 meters wide, but just the push of a button and the two side walls open like an accordion, tripling the available space and forming a large hemisphere. A cover was made with the opaque orange bellows to accommodate the sleeping area in total privacy with a central divider to separate the two “bedrooms”, while the other bellows is transparent and houses the living area with equipped veranda.
In the central body, on the other hand, there is a kitchen, a bathroom with shower and a sitting room, equipped with all the necessary services for life “en plein air”, including a stove, a sink, a worktop, a space for storing objects. and crockery and folding tables. Finally, a curiosity: in 2013 it was possible to stay in the De Markies prototype on the occasion of the Urban Campsite, an outdoor exhibition of mobile art and architecture that takes place in Amsterdam and which allows you to sleep in the works on display.
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