Static Caravan
Static Caravan is a development of the unique British static caravan typology, a complete prefabricated summer holiday dwelling. Designed for an extended family, to replace their 40 year old caravan in north-west England, the 32m² design explores how to progress this typology to be used through more months of the year, improve space and material qualities, and provide more generous views over the beautiful national park.
The static caravan concept is an ideal solution for creating dwellings in our most treasured landscapes because of their minimal impact on the ground. An elevated mobile steel base chassis on wheels needs no earth-penetrating foundations and with being fully-built off-site there is minimal disturbance to nature during construction and installation. Solar panels and batteries, rainwater collection and water tanks, and a compost toilet replace the need for underground services. Therefore when they are removed there is the least possible change to the landscape.
Type: New-build prefabricated holiday dwelling
Location: Lake District National Park, UK
Parterre Services: Sketch Project & Feasibility Study
Status: Feasibility phase
The existing caravan arriving on site in the 1980’s
The materials chosen for the design aim to respond to the local environment and building culture while increasing the tactile quality for users. Cork cladding is used for its rough, earthy texture to respond to the rugged surroundings, and because it’s light weight is necessary to keep the overall weight down for mobility. The cork is stained green to meet local regulations to blend into the landscape. Below the cork is a dry stone wall, a traditional local building, constructed on-site with local Silurian slate to give the dwelling a solidity and to protect its underside from the sheep that inhabit the field with the caravan. Inside unique and locally mined Westmorland green slate tiles are used for worktops and benches to add a material richness and connection to the proud history of the area.
A high-performance construction is used to progress traditional static caravan designs that have very thin walls because of the space requirement, weight restrictions, and their summer time use. With contemporary high-performance insulation and membranes the thin walls can be retained while dramatically improving heat loss performance.
