The Outsiders is a series of mobile urban objects designed by Moradavaga for ROOMING INN's neighborhood Living Lab in Vienna, Austria. Constructed from pine with integrated wheels, the modular structures are designed to move between public spaces, workshops, and community events rather than remain permanently installed. Each unit incorporates circular openings that connect to flexible red corrugated tubes, creating a low-tech acoustic communication system that allows people to speak and listen across distances. The project combines public seating, play, and interaction within adaptable street furniture.
The structures vary in height and configuration, with some incorporating ladders, elevated platforms, and table-like surfaces to support different forms of use. Standard industrial drainage pipes form the communication network, transforming a familiar construction material into an interactive feature without relying on electricity or digital technology. Red-rimmed pneumatic wheels allow the units to be rearranged or relocated as needed, enabling different spatial layouts across neighborhoods
Image Credit: Rooming Inn
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Mobile Civic Furniture
- Movable benches, platforms, and play structures point to urban environments where public infrastructure can shift with community programming, seasonal needs, and neighborhood-led experimentation.
- Low-tech Social Interfaces
- Acoustic tubes and analog communication features reveal potential for public installations that create interaction without screens, sensors, power, or complex maintenance demands.
- Modular Public Play
- Flexible street objects that combine seating, climbing, tables, and conversation spaces suggest new formats for inclusive civic play beyond fixed playgrounds.
Sectors Adopting This
- Urban Planning
- Adaptable furnishings can expand the role of streets and plazas as reconfigurable community assets rather than static spaces defined by permanent infrastructure.
- Public Furniture
- Wheeled, modular designs introduce opportunities for product systems that serve events, workshops, rest areas, and social interaction through one shared platform.
- Community Development
- Neighborhood labs and participatory spaces gain value from movable tools that support gathering, collaboration, and informal connection across changing local contexts.
