Algonquin College students showcase innovative tiny home designs

Students from the architecture technician program have designed state-of-the-art tiny homes, aligning with the Canadian government’s plan to invest in prefabricated homes — factory-built houses assembled on-site — to tackle the housing crisis.

On June 10, the students presented their tiny home designs for the Volume Zero Competition, which features entries from all over the world.

Students designed tiny homes that reflected the idea that a home is not just a place you live in, but a place that lives with you, tailoring their builds according to the tastes and needs of their clients, who were mostly friends and family, while also incorporating aspects like sustainability, cost effectiveness and energy efficiency.

Noemie Muller was the architect of Orisol, a tiny home design that was inspired by origami. It featured a four-room floor plan that included an inner courtyard.

“My clients wanted a work area which could be hidden away and turned into an entertainment space,” said Muller.

To fulfill the clients’ wishes, Muller designed the living room to become a multipurpose room.

“There’s a bed that descends from the ceiling there, so you can put the room in bed mode. You could also use it as a workspace, or you can use it to entertain people,” said Muller.

To execute the concept, Muller included specific foldable furniture that was appropriate for dining or working, and a retractable projector for entertainment.

“There’s also a shelf that’s built into the kitchen that pulls out, or it’s completely hidden if you want the extra space.” said Muller.

Muller’s classmate, Cullen Roberts, was the mastermind behind a teardrop-shaped tiny home called Capital Oasis.

“Originally, I was trying to work with just a circular floor plan,” said Roberts. “I liked the flow from space to space when you’re navigating in there. In my mind, that’s better than having boxes for each space.”

In the end, Roberts decided to square-edge the rear part of the home to accommodate more space.

“It’s better to have a straight-edged section to put in furniture like beds,” said Roberts.

Prefabricated homes seem to be one of the most promising ways to solve the housing crisis, according to Paul Kealey, founder of Ekobuilt, a company that specializes in building cost-effective and energy-efficient homes, including prefab homes.

“While multi-unit buildings have for a long time been the foundation of most affordable housing plans, prefab tiny homes offer a fast, flexible, and lower-cost alternative, while also improving the quality of housing,” said Kealey.

Prefab homes are built off-site in climate-controlled environments and assembled on location, allowing for faster builds and lower costs with designs tailored to groups like young adults, seniors or the unhoused, according to Kealey. Tiny homes, a subset of prefab housing, typically range from 300 to 400 square feet, creatively maximizing space, with multi-floor models reaching up to 600 square feet.

According to Professor Marjan Ghannad, who teaches in the architecture technician program, a tiny home doesn’t come with a six-figure price tag like much of the residential housing market.

“A 300 to 400 square foot tiny home would cost around $50,000,” said Ghannad.

Considering Prime Minister Mark Carney has recently promised $25 billion in loans to the Canadian prefabricated homes industry as part of a plan to solve the housing crisis, tiny homes could become an attractive option for home buyers.

“I think definitely, because it’s a lot more affordable, tiny homes could be a viable option for younger people,” said Ghannad. “Even for older people who want to move to a smaller place, but are not able to afford an apartment. You can pretty much build it anywhere, as long as you have permission for the site.”