Thesis Work : Elizabeth Antczak

Just Build It: Design guidelines for a tiny home community in the Region of Waterloo based on conversations with residents who have experienced homelessness

As governments in the Region of Waterloo consider implementing tiny home communities (THCs) for people experiencing homelessness, the Tiny Homes Research Project (THRP) has partnered with the City of Cambridge to design a "v2" prototype home - from the "v1" built in a previous phase - in alignment with the regional government's plans for a new supportive housing THC.

While the v1 design aimed to balance the benefits of the sleeping and dwelling unit types typically seen in TCHS, its hybrid strategy was not code compliant for introducing amenities into too small a space. We first addressed how the tiny home might achieve compliance, despite the lack of specific regulation for this housing type.

Our research team then conducted The Tiny Home Prototype Study (THPS) to explore how residents define their own needs and wellbeing as it relates to housing. Data collection involved two feedback sessions located at the v1 prototype, with one group of participants from the emergency shelter in Cambridge, and the other group made up of people living in an existing THC. A sociospatial analysis coding methodolgy was used to translate the collected personal insights into spatial information - the tiny home community design guidelines.

Five Guiding Principles for Tiny Home Design emerged from that process, each supplemented by specific Spatial Practices - objectives that describe what potential residents want to be able to do or feel in the home. v2 design sketches were developed through the five principles in sequence, aiming to provide (1) A Regular Place to Live, (2) Choice, (3) Utility, and (4) Security; and aiming to address the tension between a formalized design process, and the urgency to (5) Just Build It.

Thesis Supervisor : Adrian Blackwell

View this thesis on UWSpace.