The notion of urban renewal is a big one in many simultaneously aging and growing cities -- how can we make them more livable, enjoyable and sustainable in the long run and on a larger scale? Tackling the issue of how to regenerate the urban landscape, while providing citizens a way to more intimately interact with their surroundings, Spanish design firm Enorme Studio created this mobile, solar-powered office that doubles as urban garden and furniture, rolled all into one.
Done in collaboration with MINI and seen over at Designboom, Mountain on the Moon is seen as a miniature hub in Madrid where people can gather to work, play and sit, or even charge their devices using renewable power. The designers say:
Every day we are all more aware of the need to improve our habits and the collective conscience about our environment, but nevertheless our cities, giant and immeasurable, are many times far from reflecting this paradigm shift. It is urgent that citizens contribute together with different agents such as designers, public institutions, brands ... and begin to rethink collectively new imaginaries for our cities, which are capable of regenerating the urban landscape in a cohesive way with people and their environment. ... [Mountain on the Moon] will be a new habitable and efficient equipment that will try to solve the most pressing challenges in urban life.
Like a metaphorical mountain, the triangular structure consists of moveable pieces, the main one being a glass-lined, greenhouse-like structure that holds a communal workspace, flanked by mini-garden terraces on wheels that can be rolled out of the way, or used as seating with a higher vantage point.
