Taking inspiration in artist communities like Christiania in Denmark, or the squat houses of Berlin like the Tacheles, mobile_SUBURBIA aims at supporting the creation of such creative communities. Suburban cities provide the most important basis for this project, which is on one hand affordable living space and big distance to the creative centers of the cities on the other.
mobile_SUBURBIA makes use of abandoned structures of some suburban cities, by placing them on a mobile platform and re-greening them and installing wind generators.
Being lifted by zeppellins, the now floating suburb, becomes mobile and starts its journey. Comparable to a cruise on a ship it is possiblpe to land nearby big cities.
During the flight energy is generated by the wind generators on the ground and food is being planted on the roofs. Once parked the zeppelins turn into big floating wind generators by folding out the propeller in the back.
I imagine living on a mobile_SUBURBIA as a constant inspiration and adventure. It is my vision for a better future: small autonomous communities, ecological living and the possibilities of constant travel and personal exchange with a bigger variety of Cities, Comunities etc. The constant physical and intellectual travel mirrors our society´s technological development and hopefully becomes a better fitting living concept.
The cost of simply moving a home is prohibitive. Impossible if it is bolted to a non structural slab. Even then it will crack from the weight of the foundations. Every window and door will shift. Homes are not built to be moved.
Unfortunately the required size of the helium balloon would dwarf the size of the suburb, obscuring the sunlight. Now that no one can drive a car over the edge, what is the point of a typical tract house and garage? It may as well be a unified construction without the weight of trees and dirt.
Can we assume this was intended to be a geostationary space station, tied to the ground with a space elevator? I would rather be in an enclosed bubble, than exposed to the cold thin air at high altitude.