Motor Home
Studio | Proios Office
Location | Greece
Year | 2025
Size | 10m²
Project | Butterfly
“The Butterfly” – Experimental Living Capsule
The project “The Butterfly” is an experimental version of mobile habitation, inspired by the movement and unfolding of a butterfly’s wings.
It is a towable unit (motorhome without an engine), designed to operate as a capsule for hosting and temporary living, aiming to condense the essential functions of a dwelling into a flexible and efficient shell.
The dimensions of the unit are 5.00 m in length, 2.40 m in width, and 2.40 m in clear height, with an additional 0.60 m storage zone integrated beneath the main volume, housing the electrical and mechanical systems.
A key feature of the design lies in the two lateral hatches, which open from top to bottom, creating sheltered outdoor extensions. These areas allow for the use of sleeping bags and include an integrated heated floor system.
At the core of the capsule, the main functions are organized: storage spaces, bathroom unit, cooking zone, and artificial lighting system. Around this nucleus, a peripheral circulation corridor ensures ease of movement and overall accessibility, while offering a sense of freedom within an otherwise compact volume.
The Butterfly seeks to explore the boundaries between habitation and mobility, proposing a hybrid between a motorhome and an architectural installation. Its design focuses on the organization of the interior so that the limited space becomes a field of functional adaptability, while maintaining the lightness and friendliness of a temporary shelter.
Οn the roof of ''The Butterfly'' is located an embedded solar panel and a boiler system. Τhe opening parts are ensured for the ventilation and lighting of the capsule.
Living in nature – A new tourist experience
The experiment of The Butterfly is not limited to the form of a mobile capsule. It introduces a broader reflection on the notions of hospitality, spatial freedom, and the relationship between architecture and the natural landscape.
In a country like Greece, where touristic pressure on coastal and island areas has reached saturation levels, it becomes necessary to investigate new, non-permanent forms of hospitality. Such alternatives can help relieve traditional destinations while redistributing tourist interest toward inland and rural areas.
The Butterfly proposes an alternative tourism strategy: lightweight, low-cost, and temporary habitation that requires no permanent infrastructure and leaves no lasting mark on the landscape. Its portability and adaptability allow time, space, and place to gain new flexibility; the experience is not predefined, but chosen each time according to the traveler’s needs and desires.
Ecological dimension
The ecological aspect of the project is reinforced through the integration of solar panels on the upper surface of the capsule, powering its basic electrical needs. In this way, the unit achieves energy autonomy, minimizes dependence on external supplies, and operates with a reduced environmental footprint. This use of renewable energy is not only a technical advantage but also a clear statement on how hospitality-oriented architecture can embed sustainability as a fundamental principle
Providing the chance of a bluetooth system makes you feel like home proving that technology can be transferred everywhere.
THIS FLOORPLAN PRESENTS THE FUNCTIONAL PARTS OF THE CAPSULE. THE GREY PART IS INDICATED FOR SLEEPING AND SPECIFICALLY FOR A SLEEPING BAG. THE CAPACITY OF THE CAPSULE IS READY TO HOST ABOUT 6 SLEEPING BAGS AND TWO MOVABLE BEDS ON THE INSIDE. CONSEQUENTLY IT HOSTS ABOUT 8 CAMPERS!
The bed has the potential of going up and down.
