Bauhaus Meets the Road in Student’s Driverless ‘Smartchitecture’ Car

A German design student has unveiled an avant-garde concept for a driverless aluminum vehicle that blurs the lines between automotive and architectural design.

Yida Li’s ‘Smartchitecture’ was conceived as his bachelor’s thesis at Pforzheim University, sponsored by none other than Mercedes-Benz’s design arm. The eye-catching creation reimagines the humble Smart car – from the Daimler steady – as a shape-shifting multipurpose vehicle combining elements of a tent, RV and building.

At the project’s recent debut, Li presented a 1:4 scale model allowing visitors to glimpse the concept’s radical interior. A circular aluminum cabin houses sofa-like seating that curves around the spherical bodywork, complemented by a panoramic transparent roof to open up generous views.

Underfoot, a slatted wooden floor aids ventilation, while headrests integrated into the seats hint at adjustability prioritizing passenger comfort over traditional driving positions. Indeed, operation is envisioned as fully autonomous.

Li cites the Bauhaus design movement as a core inspiration, its principles of soft forms and gentle geometry reflected in Smartchitecture’s organic profile. The bold use of aluminum for the exterior paneling is equally distinctive.

But it’s the concept of “yuanlin” – Mandarin for “round forest” – that truly sets this vehicle apart from conventional four-wheeled thinking. The transparent roof canopy and muted, woodsy interior palette evoke a sense of being cocooned within nature itself as you traverse cityscapes.

Grandiose visions of mobile arboretums may ultimately prove fanciful. But by radically rethinking the car’s form and purpose, Li’s Smartchitecture at least challenges our assumptions about the automobile’s place in future cities.

As urban spaces become increasingly congested, perhaps solutions lie in shape-shifting pods that can serve as homes, offices and greenspaces on wheels – drought-friendly aluminum yuanlins roving amidst concrete jungles. Granted, it’s a long road from undergraduate thesis to mass production. But Li’s explorations prove bold thinking still has a place in Germany’s auto design temples.