Topic 7—BIT Arsitektur
The Great Tiny House Debate:
What it Means to Downsize the Dream
by Eric Baldwin September 03, 2020
https://www.archdaily.com/925121/the-great-tiny-house-debate-what-it-means-to-downsize-the-dream
The dream of a home in the suburbs with a white picket
fence is changing. Between housing crises and
homelessness, mounting debt and downsizing, home
ownership has become increasingly less attainable.
The tiny house movement is a direct response to these
forces, with cities and designers asking whether micro
dwellings can address pressing issues or if they are
glorifying unhealthy living conditions.
Throughout 2018, tiny houses were one of the most
popular topics searched for on ArchDaily, growing 75%
over the previous year, and first on our list of trends
that will impact architecture in 2019. Architects are
faced with a range of questions, including whether tiny
houses can provide eco-conscious and affordable
housing as a response to a narrowing housing supply.
The movement is also innately tied to changing
attitudes about privilege, wealth and materialism. The
trend towards tiny living is growing in both urban and
rural environments alike, and the debate on tiny
homes continues because the definitions of the
movement are diverse and often tied to local housing
markets.
1
To complicate things, tiny homes come in many sizes,
and can actually be illegal in some places. In the
United States, tiny houses are difficult to regulate
when it comes to zoning and safety, and states can
deem them unacceptable as forms of residency. The
law looks at tiny houses as something between
camper vans, mobile homes, and traditional single-
family residences. They can be micro-apartments and
office spaces to cabins on wheels. But to officially be
"tiny," the house has to be 400 square feet or less
according to the International Code Council. Tiny
homes also come in two different types: movable (on
wheels) or stationary (on a foundation).
While there are many problems, tiny homes can also
provide a range of benefits, from a minimalist lifestyle
and mobility to lower costs when compared to
traditional single-family homes. But are they truly an
answer to urban inequality, or capitalizing on the
needs of a growing demographic? The following
articles explore the tiny house movement and where
these questions may be headed.
Topic 7—BIT Arsitektur

A Tiny Luxury: What are “Tiny Houses” Really
Saying About Architecture?
cropping up on a daily basis. Home to residents of all
ages, tiny houses have evolved far beyond the
cramped quarters of Airstream trailers of decades past
and, though they were once considered an
architectural farce, tiny houses are becoming an
increasingly popular solution to weather the economic
storm and increasingly relevant to the field of
architecture.

Tiny-House Villages: Safe Havens for the

Homeless

Following a successful pilot launch in Boston and $1

million in venture backing, a start-up company
called Getaway has recently launched their service to
New Yorkers. The company allows customers to rent
out a collection of designers “tiny houses” placed in
secluded rural settings north of the city; beginning at
$99 per night, the service is hoping to offer respite for
overstimulated city folk seeking to unplug and “find
themselves.” The company was founded by business
student Jon Staff and law student Pete Davis, both
from Harvard University, out of discussions with other As the need for smart housing solutions rises, so does
students about the issues with housing and the need the appeal of tiny-house villages, not just as shelter for
for new ideas to house a new generation. From that the homeless, but as a possible look to the future of the
came the idea of introducing the experience of Tiny housing sector. The new article, Are Tiny-House
House living to urbanites through weekend rentals. Villages the Solution to Homelessness? by Tim
Murphy, takes a closer look into the positive and
5 Things Architecture Can Learn from the Tiny negative aspects of these controversial communities,
as well as their social and political ramifications so far.
House Movement
Through interviews with residents of several tiny-
house villages, Murphy investigates the current
impacts they have had on the homeless populations
within major American cities, and questions how the
lifestyle will evolve in the future.

As the global economy grows uncertain, homeowners

are getting more creative in order to afford essential
residential spaces. The tiny house movement has
gained a foothold worldwide, encouraging the
construction of homes as small as 150 square feet (14
square meters), with many smaller housing models
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Topic 7—BIT Arsitektur

Micro-Architecture: 40 Big Ideas for Small

Cabins

In spite of their apparent simplicity, small cabins have

always been a welcome design challenge in which
scale, materiality and habitability must be resolved in
order to take maximum advantage of minimal spaces.
Perhaps the most famous exercise in cabin design, the
Le Corbusier-designed 16m2 cabanon was a container
of ideas in which the Swiss architect explored the
"modulor"-- an understanding of the fundamentality
of human scale. In the ensuing half-century, many
prominent architects have ventured into cabin design
both experimentally and at a primitive level, especially
as a small refuge in harmony within a natural context.

Discussion questions:
1. What are the pros and cons of a sustainable tiny
house?
2. Can it be solution for today’s situation?
3. Would you live in a tiny house? Why/why not?

Students reflection:
Tiny Homes: Is Less Really More?