When the Touareg tows a house

When the Touareg tows a house

What happened on your tour?

Leonardo Di Chiara: My tour was like a big European driving lesson. I hadn’t driven much before, and at first I thought I’d never be able to transport the house. But the Touareg let me work up to it. It has all those driver assistance systems, plus all-wheel drive which gives it more agility and stability. My driving improved with every meter. Later, I had no trouble towing the house on narrow Italian roads and through historical town centers. It gave me a sense of freedom. And it fulfilled my dream of living in different places while being able to move on whenever I wanted.

What’s the story behind tiny houses?

Leonardo Di Chiara: Tiny houses are miniature homes on wheels. I started building them when I moved from Italy to Berlin. I wanted to show people that small spaces don’t have to limit your range of options or quality of life. Instead, you can reconfigure the space however you want to suit your needs. I wanted to avoid having to deal with social expectations: a tiny house is a statement against overpriced apartments that you don’t really live in because you’re spending all your time trying to earn the rent for it.

Is your tiny house furnished with everything you’d find in a conventional home?

Leonardo Di Chiara: Yes, it has nine square meters that include a separate bathroom of nearly one square meter. I have a kitchen with room for up to six people. I have a double bed. Tables and chairs are hidden in the walls. It’s like a house in the form of a Swiss army knife. There’s a lot to discover. One cabinet contains a ladder that lets me climb up to the roof and enjoy a splendid view of the city. That’s a very important point – how to create variation in the smallest possible space.

Why precisely nine square meters? Why did you limit yourself to that amount?

Leonardo Di Chiara: Nine square meters are a lower limit in real estate law. A room has to be at least that size to be legally designated a bedroom. I wanted to show that you can do much more with that official minimum space. I want to draw politicians’ attention to this outdated 1975 regulation and get them to change it. New technologies have been developed since then. We can live in smaller spaces.

Did you build the house all by yourself or did you get help from partners?

Leonardo Di Chiara: I worked together with many different people. In looking for specialists, I walked through my home town and asked 40 companies about products and materials. About 80 percent of the components in my house, from the trailer to the kitchen utensils, come from external partners. I was less interested in getting sponsoring than in knowledge transfer and expertise. For example, I connected the refrigerator producer with another company that could optimize the product for a nomadic way of life.

Do you think this form of urban life can be a model for the future?

Leonardo Di Chiara: I think tiny houses are a good option for many people, but not for the entire society. To live this way, you have to change your life in a way that doesn’t appeal to everyone. We’re going through major social shifts in terms of digital connectivity and mobility. These developments will have a huge impact on life in cities and in the countryside.

Have you received a lot of offers for your tiny house?

Leonardo Di Chiara: Yes, in fact there’s quite a bit of interest in this room on wheels. The spectrum ranges from NGOs that need mobile addiction treatment centers to hotel chains that want to try out new nomadic approaches to hospitality.

What is the most important statement you’d like this project to make?

Leonardo Di Chiara: If you have a big dream, you can make it come true in a small space. My dream was to live in my own home while also traveling the whole time. This tiny house on wheels lets me do both those things.