Dezeen Magazine

Land Ark Caravan

Land Ark wraps compact Quatro mobile dwelling in black steel

Colorado studio Land Ark has unveiled a metal-clad, mobile dwelling that is meant to serve as a "comfortable backyard office or guest room".

The movable home contains a sleeping area and a combined zone for lounging, dining, cooking and working.

"We wanted to create a comfortable backyard office or guest room that requires less space to park, is less intimidating to haul, and overall is less concerned with trying to match the amenities found inside a typical house," Land Ark told Dezeen.

Land Ark Quatro exterior
Land Ark designed the Quatro as a smaller mobile home to serve as a guest room or office

The Quatro follows the 2018 debut of Land Ark's first caravan, the Drake, which totalled 357 square feet (33 square metres) and featured angled walls, black metal cladding and an interior filled with white-washed pine.

The Quatro has similar traits but is considerably smaller at 192 square feet (18 square metres).

Blackened steek mobile home
The exterior is made with steel

Rectangular in plan, the unit has angled walls and a sloped roof, which lend a sculptural look. Facades are clad in corrugated steel and feature windows of varying sizes.

Select windows slant outward four degrees, inspiring the Quatro name.

In the kitchen, the designers incorporated an electric cooktop, a convection oven that doubles as a microwave, a yacht refrigerator and a dishwasher.

Interior dinette
The dinette turns into a sleeping area

To provide more sleeping space, the team created a dinette that converts into a single bed, with the back seat cushions becoming the mattress.

Built into one side is a cubbie with a reading light, USB outlet and space for storing typical nightstand items.

Dinette in sleeping position
The table lowers to support a cushion

A slender hallway leads to a bathroom with a toilet and shower. A vanity lies just across the corridor.

"The pivoting bathroom door latches across the hallway to connect the spaces and offer full privacy from the living/kitchen area," the team said.

Murphy bed
The main sleeping area has a Murphy bed

As one passes into the bedroom, the ceiling right rises to over 9 feet (2.7 metres). Cove lighting accentuates the ceiling height and helps the space feel "surprisingly cavernous," the design studio said.

The bedroom is fitted with a queen-sized Murphy bed that enables the room to be opened up when not in use.

Murphy bed in down position
For the dinette and primary sleeping area small alcoves allow for reading lights and storage

Interior finishes include vinyl plank flooring and walls and ceilings made of white-washed pine with a tongue-and-groove assembly. Cabinetry is fabricated of Baltic birch with a white laminate veneer.

The Quatro trailer's frame is made of cold-rolled steel with a 3.5-inch (8.9-centimetre) cavity.

Mobile home bathroom with white-washed pine
White-washed pine was used for the interior cladding

To help provide an air-tight envelope, the gap is stuffed with closed-cell, spray insulation, in addition to a layer of rigid insulation outside of the frame.

The unit comes with a rooftop heater/air conditioner and hookups for sewer, water and power. The unit can be hitched to a three-quarter ton truck.

Yacht fridge and hallway
A vanity is across from the bathroom

Based in the town of Buena Vista, Land Ark was started by the husband-and-wife team of Brian and Joni Buzarde. The formation of Land Ark was inspired by Brian and Joni Buzarde's personal experience.

Before moving to Colorado, the couple lived in Texas, where Brian studied architecture, and Joni studied management and marketing.

Waterfall shower mobile home
The bathroom includes a shower

In 2011, they decided to purchase a small, mobile dwelling to live in, but were unable to find a suitable option on the market. So they built their own.

Their initial prototype, Woody, was completed in 2012 and resembles the models they now sell. The couple has lived in the caravan, testing its functionality and making changes as needed.

The Buzardes said that their homes, while mobile, tend to remain stationary. The Quatro marks their shift toward more agile homes.

"While this unit is still intended to remain stationary most of the time, it represents us beginning to move in that direction," they said.

Window in mobile home bathroom
Large windows make the interiors feel more spacious

"Looking ahead, we're designing and developing a unit that is intended to function as a road warrior with robust off-grid/self-sufficient systems."

Other mobile homes include the Escape One XL, which features two levels, a charred wood exterior and interior sleeping space for up to eight people.

The photography is by Land Ark.