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No longer locked by their jobs to escalating rents in unaffordable urban centers, consumers are embracing more nomadic, flexible and affordable lifestyles, where they can dynamically interact with their environments and each other. While the tiny home movement itself isn’t necessarily new, nor is the idea nomadic living, the underlying premise of a mutable, mobile lifestyle is being updated by new and innovative processes and materials, making modern alternative dwelling a more accessible and attractive emergent lifestyle. 

Can AI help build a future of symbiotic, living architecture? Indian architect and designer Manas Bhatia uses AI to devise surreal architectural concepts enabling a “utopian future” where buildings are living, symbiotic organisms that can grow to accommodate the ever-growing needs for housing. DesignBoom

3D printing affordable tiny homes from recycled plastic LA-based housing and construction startup Azure can build homes 70% faster and 30% cheaper than “traditional home construction methods” using post-industrial plastic (rather than concrete) for its printing mix. The prefabricated homes range from a backyard studio dwelling unit to two bedroom homes. Azure

Eco-friendly tiny home on wheels is built for a nomadic lifestyle  Oslo-based tiny home company Norske Mikrohus has built an eco-friendly and affordable housing alternative. The house, which is on wheels, is designed in the Norwegian style to encourage flexibility and freedom. Norske Mikrohus

IKEA imagines a smarter and sustainable future for home design As part of the H22 City Expo, IKEA showcased a vision for the future of city homes through a series of exhibitions and events including “flatpack dwellings,” home design products, and a series of short documentaries exploring the concept of home. H22 Expo

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This article was contributed by the PSFK IQ team. IQ is a platform for insights and advice for creative professionals seeking to develop innovation in retail and customer experience.