Tiny House Design

This is an incredibly innovate orphanage design by TYIN, a student-run Norwegian non-profit organization focused on developing humanitarian architecture. Soe Ker Tie House is one of four projects recently completed in Thailand near the border with Burma. The design is the result of working closely with the local people and a utilization of local materials. The bamboo for the huts was harvested just a few kilometers from the building site. Some of the primary design challenges centered around collecting rainwater, natural cooling, and finding a safe way to handle sewage.

I’m especially impressed by how such sculptural forms could also be so utilitarian. It seems like every time you turn around you find another extreme architectural design that forgets that form must follow function. These little buildings don’t seem to leave anyone behind. In fact they are also a good reminder that a home doesn’t necessarily need to be complex or expensive to be incredible valuable. They are also a testament to the fact that a little clever design and craftsmanship can add a whole lot to the quality of life. Image credit to TYIN.

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I spent the better part of last week traveling to Los Angeles. Visiting that town always makes me think about sustainability and self-sufficiency because the whole place seems so dependent on outside natural resources; although you could probably say that about most big cities. As we drove up and down Interstate-5 past all the dried up farms I couldn’t help but think about how much rainwater my nine square foot concept house could actually capture.

I came up with this slight refinement to the previous design which has a larger single roof surface that spans the interior space, porch, and bay windows. This roof is about 50 square feet and if my math is right this roof would collect about 425 gallons of water per year here in Sacramento, California. Continue Reading »