Category Archives: Design Concept

2011 Solar Decathlon Preview

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Michael Janzen

The Solar Decathlon is a biannual competition where 20 university-led teams from around the globe come together and present their latest innovations in solar technology. The entry that best combines affordability, consumer appeal, design excellence, and optimal energy efficiency will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged competition, Decathlon, solar, University | Leave a comment

$300 Compressed Earth Block Hybrid House

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Michael Janzen

One of my regular readers, Architect Joseph Sandy, recently submitted a design to the The $300 House Open Design Challenge. It uses CEBs (compressed earth blocks) for the lower portion of the walls and a light wood frame for the upper … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged $300 House, CEBs, compressed earth blocks, earthen, Joseph Sandy | 7 Comments

Green Roof Home Office

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Michael Janzen

If you’ve been following Tiny House Design for a while you know that I’ve been gearing up to build a tiny home office. I work from home and my family is growing (adopting a baby girl) so I need a … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged green roof, home office, modern, office, shed | 9 Comments

Tiny Playhouse

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Michael Janzen

I drew this tiny playhouse as a potential class project for my daughter’s Waldorf kindergarten. It’s looking like we won’t be building it any time soon, but I figured readers of Tiny House Design would enjoy seeing it. As you … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged children, kids, playhouse, sketchup, Waldorf | 1 Comment

QB1 – Cube Project

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Michael Janzen

On the inside the QB1 is 3x3x3 meters, about 97 square feet. It was designed to generate at least as much electricity as it uses, making it energy-positive. In fact the designers estimate this house, with its 1.48 kW roof … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged BQ1, cube, cube project, Edinburgh, england, Mike Page, uk | 3 Comments

Triple Dome Survival Shelter

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Michael Janzen

Dr. Owen Geiger, expert earthbag designer and builder, recently posted the design of this Triple Dome Survival Shelter on his Earthbag House Plans website. It’s designed to house a family for an extended period of time – protected from nuclear radiation, earthquakes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged earthbag, earthen, fallout, Owne Geiger, radiation, shelter | 25 Comments

Tiny Home Office Design

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Michael Janzen

My time has been in high demand lately… not that I’m complaining. For the past few months Julia and I have been busy taking care of a baby girl through a foster placement. We’re not normally foster parents but when a relative … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged camping cabin, design, home office, Plans, tiny house | 24 Comments

Tiny House Pottery Studio

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Michael Janzen

While I currently make my living as a web designer (by day) and tiny house blogger/designer (by night) I was once a full-time studio potter. I mentioned this fact in a post called Daydreaming about Tiny House Pottery. Colin, also a … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged Colin, live/work, potter, pottery | 5 Comments

The Free Agent House by Jibe Design

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Michael Janzen

Juliet, the principal architect at Jibe Design, shared this clever container-based home design with me and thought it might be interesting to readers of Tiny House Design. I think she’s absolutely right and applaud her for this new take on shipping … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged Goldenberg Photography, Jibe Design, Juliet, Naquib Hossain, off-grid, shipping container | 13 Comments

The Beetle House

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Michael Janzen

It’s always nice to hear a story of someone turning sour lemons in lemonade. In this case it’s a tiny house design concept called The Beetle House. In October of 2010 a team at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Concept | Tagged Michael Mehta, The Beetle House, Thompson Rivers University | 2 Comments