Tiny House Design

This news is a bit old, but new to me and maybe you. The Self-Fab House was a design contest in 2007 that sent out a call for designers to submit concepts for a self-sufficient green house the occupants could build themselves. It was sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. Entry was free and there were real cash prizes. It was open to almost anyone. The website says architects, designers and students are welcome to enter.

First Place: The Folded House

First place went to a design from designers in China, Ming Tang and Dihua Yang. They proposed using bamboo constructed in geometric shapes similar to an umbrella that could be later modified into other shapes. The material was readily available and their building process easy for the self-builder to construct. I think the best part was that the building method allowed future changes to the building’s configuration as the needs of the occupants changed. This would allow reuse of the existing material and no need to harvest, collect, or buy material to replace the existing material.

Second Place: Harvest Home

Second place went to Luis Aguirre Manso in Spain for a design intended for use in Columbia. This structure would also use locally harvested bamboo. The tower structures are earth quake resistant, have a wide stable base, and can be built by hand with few tools. A central fire can be lit to provide warmth when needed but the walls allow the needed air flow for their intended tropical location.

Third Place: Biodegradable Vacuum Formed Modularized Shelter

Third place went to a design team in Hong Kong, (Shinya Okuda, Kung Yick Ho Alvin, and Lam Yan Yu Ian). It uses a biodegradable plastic made from corn. CORN NOT OIL?! Very cool. The completed structure is an arch but it’s made form assembling a bunch of separately molded pieces. The plastic degrades in 20 days after being put under the dirt and is currently being used in China for food containers. Why don’t we do that here? I think the only draw back to this concept is the added manufacturing process required to create the building blocks. But I love the plastic technology and assembly looks much easier than working with bamboo.

More?

All the finalists’ designs can be found at http://www.iaacblog.com/AAC2007-finalists/. There are tons of good small and tiny house ideas on their website if you have the time to look around. Photo credit Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia and all the designers mentioned above.