One look at that outside is enough to stop you in your tracks – and once within it, you may want to walk before you start running around your new ‘mobile’ home. What is that giant cylinder and why is it laying on its side? A view of the interior, though, inspires your inner child who would love to roll along in one of these cozy little mini-homes.

Roll It is more than just a toy, though: it represents surprisingly subtle and complex approach to modular housing design, complete with its own ‘exercise room’ of sorts. By walking in the middle, a resident can rotate various ‘rooms’ into usable positions. Tables become chairs, chairs become beds, beds become walls and walls become desks, all depending upon the configuration, which is in turned all controlled by the user.

The hidden structure consists of a series of solid rings that provide circular support and the basis for a set of curved wooden interior and exterior shells. The inside is divided into three conceptual sections. The first third is a living room, bedroom and office space for sitting, sleeping and working; the last third is a kitchen and eating area (complete with a sink and seating but not much else for cooking); the space in between is sunk down and out – the area for walking the house into motion.

Ample circular side windows and slotted skylights (or are they floor lights?) along the center ‘treadmill’ allow in natural light and create controlled views, though some curtains would be a nice touch for those of us who like periodic privacy. Aside from these clear plastic openings and a few cushioned areas, the rest of the surfaces are covered in custom-curved plywood which has a nice, warm, natural look to it – though the outside could stand some more design work.

Would I want to live in one of these things forever? Perhaps not. Would I be game to try it out for a year in college when the dorms overflow? Perhaps. Would I want one rolling around in the backyard or to take camping? Absolutely – at least, if it were clearly explained how you go about steering such a thing. Regardless, it would be compelling to see this concept take shape in a more serious (or perhaps hilarious) way: just imagine herds of humans rolling their homes across fields for some kind of post-modernl nomadic migration – now that I would like to see.