Opening any book by Lloyd Kahn’s Shelter Publications plunges you into an immersive view of some facet of diverse handmade buildings. The original Shelter book started a feedback loop: interesting buildings are documented, these inspire new interesting buildings, and then a new book documents those inspired creations along with other buildings from outside the fold. The latest iteration of the Shelter Publications building book came out this past summer: Rolling Homes: Shelter on Wheels. Kahn references the book’s feedback-driven process in the introduction: “the book created its own form, based on input received [from] Shelter’s network (built up over 50 years) of hands-on people”.
There’s a nomadic revolution going on these days, according to Lloyd Kahn. You’ve probably seen fragments of it around you, even if you didn’t realize it. Any parked van, jeep, or truck you see on the street could be someone’s work-sleep-adventure-fun machine. These cabinets of curious people offer an alternative for those with few things and many dreams. Alternative to what?
A thirty year mortgage anchoring you to a job to pay for it.
Paying ever-increasing rent for smaller and smaller apartments.
Or just an alternative to going home after a hike.
Rolling Homes is a compelling and exciting introduction to building moving homes for those interested in living affordably and with mobility, while also living within limits like greater contact with extreme weather and limited storage. Many people featured in the book seem to have chosen this lifestyle as an alternative, or even vacation, from a more conventional life. For others, this was the closest to owning a house they could achieve. There are many responses to the current housing crises, and the homes shown in this book could be your response if you have the time, resources, and ability to support yourself on the go. In interviews, Kahn has said he thinks building a house on a permanent foundation with your own hands, the subject of his earliest books, is too expensive for young people nowadays. Higher land prices and cost-of-living combined with lower paying jobs have narrowed the housing market for many people all the way down to homes in vehicles. This book is definitely a must-read, whether you want to try camping long-term, or going nomadic full-time.
Consider buying Rolling Homes directly from Shelter Publications to help them continue to share radical homes of all kinds.
