Tour this container home with expandable walls that multiply the interior space

Today, we're taking you back in time to celebrate a container home classic.
Ever since its completion in 2003, Lot-ek's stylish Mobile Dwelling Unit (MDU) has left tiny living enthusiasts and modern art aficionados in awe over its amazing construction. Originally built for the UCSB's University Art Museum, to this day the MDU continues to inspire those seeking a container space with just the right amount of modernity.
Come with us to rejoice one of the container dwellings that spearheaded the movement toward a compact lifestyle.
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The Mobile Dwelling Unit's exterior uniquely comprises contractible components. When stationary, the 500-square-foot (46.45-square-meter) container's metal walls can be expanded outward for additional space, and, while traveling, these can be locked back in place for easy transportation.
This is another view of the units. Lot-ek's interlocking design was inspired by their desire to conceive a container home that could seamlessly adapt to a nomadic globetrotter's ever-changing lifestyle.
In case you were wondering where one would enter such an intricate construction - here we are! Not as complicated as one would have previously imagined.
Now we begin exploring the interiors. All fixtures, furnishings, walls and flooring were made with a combination of plywood and plastic-coated plywood. This creates a glossy finish and contemporary feel to the overall design.
Interestingly, the interiors allow for easy access to all facilities, but the interlocking compartments ensure that this mobile dwelling doesn't deprive its owners of their privacy.
Chairs can be pulled out of hidden compartments to make room for the living area.
We find it fascinating that a couple of TV screens and red painted cabinets are all it takes to make a container home look like something out of a classic sci-fi movie.
Natural lighting seeps into the MDU through its narrow windows, as is shown in the dining area. Simplicity and consistence are well established in each room, with colors, materials and furnishings always appealing to a familiar theme.
See what we mean? The dining room and bedroom are very similar in aesthetics. But then again, a fold-out bed is all a nomadic dweller could ever ask for after a busy day of exploring.
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It's amazing how, more than a decade later, this container home continues to appeal to the futuristic mind. The MDU's details are refined and simple, yet the entire house exudes modernity through and through.
Resources Lot-ek