A home designed for adventures
Gallavant Sprinter Van Conversion
Making a van feel like a home.
Onetwosix was approached by clients based in Alberta Canada who wanted to invest in taking their future travels in comfort and style. They had purchased a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter Van with the goal of having it converted into a custom-made camper. They needed Onetwosix to design and outfit the 500ft3 space, transforming it into a home with all the amenities.
Exploring New Terrain
To understand the potential for the Sprinter Van's conversion, we went to one of the world's most famous caravans trade shows: The Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf, Germany. Here we observed what others had — and hadn’t — been doing, identifying opportunities where we could bring in some unique features.
The First Steps
We worked closely with our clients to design the interior from the ground up. Once we established the components to include, we drafted initial sketch concepts of the layout to determine the aesthetic which most appealed to them. Accommodating the amenities of a standard-sized caravan in this smaller package meant that we had to get creative with each component and material choice, making the most of everything put into the space.
Mapping Out Our Path
After stripping the interior down to bare bones, we developed an accurate 3D CAD model of the Sprinter Van to map out our approach. This important step helped us visualize the furnishings and confirm size and placement of the inner workings before prototyping and manufacture. Rapid prototyping in the form of 1:1 cardboard mock-ups combined with modelling ensured any necessary changes would be caught early in the project and quickly integrated into the final design.
Packed and ready for the adventure
After many hours of hard work the finished Sprinter was dubbed VanGO, and runs the gamut of amenities including stove, kitchen sink, toilet, shower, queen sized bed, storage, heating, AC, a tank monitoring system, and fridge. Extendable storage below the rear sleeping compartment makes for easy packing and unpacking of supplies and solar panels installed on the roof of the Sprinter provide it with power when needed. In addition to ensuring the space was functional, we worked to create a bright and cheery yet relaxing environment. To do so, we focused on ensuring there would be ample natural light paired with neutral and durable materials, a vibrant yellow accent colour, and the warmth of natural cherry wood — bringing the surrounding nature into the home.
