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Tricycle House Is How You Bring Pedal Power to the Tiny House Movement

In the context of soaring prices and poor accessibility to housing, as well as the desire for more mobility, the tiny house movement is seeing a surge in popularity. Over the past two decades, these mobile homes, built on top of towable trailers of different dimensions, have come to be regarded as a viable solution to the demands of modern urbanism.
The Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny home 20 photos
Photo: People’s Architecture Office
The Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny homeThe Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal-powered bicycle and a tiny home
Tiny houses present an array of advantages over fixed homes, with the biggest being that they’re mobile and, as such, perfect for digital nomads and frequent travelers. They also encourage downsizing and living intentionally, both very popular with today’s more environmentally-aware generation, and come with smaller running costs.

The one thing seemingly preventing the wider adoption of tiny houses is prohibitive pricing. Since most of these mobile units use sustainable materials or are built to be more eco-friendly, they are expensive – sometimes even pricier than an actual house. This one, the Tricycle House, would not be.

October is autoevolution’s Iconic Vehicles Month, a month-long virtual celebration of all types of iconic vehicles, whether motorized or pedal-powered. The Tricycle House, though often cited among the world’s strangest (and most creative) mobile homes, would qualify here for this reason alone: it is one of the most ingenious takes on the tiny house movement we’ve seen. It also fits the bill because it’s a very smart interpretation of the traditional bicycle, a transportation icon of its own.

The Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal\-powered bicycle and a tiny home
Photo: People’s Architecture Office
The Tricycle House is just what it sounds like: a mobile home based on a tricycle. The idea seems preposterous, even more so than a previous concept we discussed last summer, that of a Piaggio Ape converted into a motorhome. However, the Tricycle House is not a motorhome because it has no motor: being based on a tricycle. You don’t even get motorized assistance, as you would with many of today’s cargo bikes, because the concept goes back to 2012 when e-bikes were still in their infancy.

The Tricycle House was designed by People’s Architecture Office (PAO) and People’s Industrial Design Office (PIDO) as part of 2012 Get It Louder exhibit in China. The idea was to create something that would address the issues of modern urbanism, recycle waste, and allow for more functionality and efficiency in the ever-crowded urban landscape. The Tricycle House is, as such, a stand-alone house or a module that can be integrated with similar trikes into a larger “construction,” one that could house an entire family.

The base model can accommodate two people. Each piece is made of lightweight plastic (polypropylene) that’s been CNC-cut, scored flat, and folded and welded into shape. On the road, it looks no larger than a bike trailer, though it’s definitely taller. When parked, the unit unfolds much like an accordion, bringing into view the basic creature comforts: kitchen block with cooker and sink, a bench and table for dining or bed for sleeping in the same piece of furniture, and a bathroom with shower/bathtub and toilet at the rear.

Inside the home, you even get a storage room and bookshelves integrated into the modular furniture. There’s also a water tank of unspecified dimensions, and the slight transparency of the material allows light inside, whether natural or from street lamps.

The Tricycle House is a smart combination of pedal\-powered bicycle and a tiny home
Photo: People’s Architecture Office
The second occupant wouldn't be able to ride in the house since that would increase the person's weight and effort doing the pedaling. Instead, they could ride on their own trike, which could be a garden (Tricycle Garden) or an additional module to expand the living space of the main one. The designers noted that several House modules could form a larger structure, not unlike a proper city apartment; several Garden modules could even make up a park.

Granted, several important issues would have to be addressed to ever make something like Tricycle House happen. But the concept shows that tiny homes can work even on the most unlikely platform, like that of a tricycle. In theory, it would also make use of empty parking lots at night and, because it would allow people to live closer to work, lead to a decrease in traffic congestion.

We've seen similar ideas actually brought to market in recent years, though they were never presented as alternatives to actual homes. Bike campers, like the Scout or the ModyPlast e-bike trailers, offer a more elegant and comfortable variant to regular bikepacking.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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