A cheaper and simpler life, closer to nature: this is the Tiny House concept. This small structure, or micro-architecture, is typically built of wood, often times on wheels. Born in the United States 10 years ago, the movement has recently arrived in Europe seducing those looking to reduce their environmental impact, as well as a means of more affordable housing. Increasingly considered a new “way of life”, Tiny houses are about simplicity and reverting to the basics.
Green housing
Living in smaller places means limiting our environmental impact. When it comes to its building and use, a Tiny House has a lighter environmental impact than a traditional house.
Tiny Houses are made of wood, often from local sources, and other ecological materials. Insulation, mainly made of vegetable fibre, is meant to provide a comfortable living environment for inhabitants year round. From a consumption point of view, a smaller home means less resource usage and increased energy efficiency. Lightweight, well insulated, with few electrical goods, a Tiny House is respectful of nature. It is also very easy to make these small structures self-sufficient in energy by installing solar panels and a rainwater recovery and treatment system.
The physical restraints of a Tiny House, averaging between 10 and 40 m2 for the largest, force us to re-examine our patterns of consumption. There can be no excessive appliances or unnecessary objects. In this way, the Tiny House reminds us of the true way of life .
A house for a simple lifestyle
Contrary to the general overconsumption trend which promotes acquiring oversized and over-equipped houses, a Tiny House supports a simpler life, environmental respect and easy travel. It provides an opportunity to move where your desires may take you and settle in a new environment with a smaller impact.
Tiny Houses have gotten very popular in Europe after their boom in the United States. Not all of them are mobile, but if you are a fan of the nomadic lifestyle, a wheeled model will be more practical, allowing you to live next to your favourite spot. Indeed, these small houses appeal to a more nomadic lifestyle. The Tiny House’s foundation lies in minimalism, the ability to travel and to reconnect with life’s essentials.
Who wouldn’t want a Tiny House? Up on the sand dune, blended into its environment, equipped with only what is necessary – it represents a social, ecological and architectural movement and responds both to temporary accommodation issues and to our desires to escape. Instead of the house of the future, Tiny Houses are the houses of days gone by, a return to our roots, an adaptation to less sedentary ways of life while still maintaining a certain level of comfort.
So, what’s stopping you from making the shift to a Tiny House for your next surf trip, or beyond?
