An academic and municipal partnership provides hope for Waterloo region’s homeless
A lack of available and affordable housing in the Region of Waterloo is affecting a growing number of people. An estimated 1,000 people in the region have no home to call their own, and almost half experience chronic homelessness.
The Tiny Homes project, an initiative of the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture in partnership with the City of Cambridge, explores how thoughtfully designed tiny homes can help by offering a fast, flexible, cost-effective and dignified emergency housing solution.
The project’s prototype was designed and built by Waterloo architecture students tasked with developing a practical abode that meets human needs. Its minimalist design — two mirror halves joined by a pitched roof — offers privacy, autonomy, insulated shelter, plenty of natural light and an entrance area that can be used as a greenhouse, mud room or solarium. And all of this is contained in just 180 square feet.
“We’re really excited by the Tiny Homes project’s potential to promote, facilitate and participate in the development of affordable, welcoming and vibrant neighbourhoods,” said Hardy Bromberg (BASc ’97), deputy city manager of Community Development in Cambridge and a Waterloo Engineering alum.
“The City of Cambridge is growing and changing. Partnerships with industry and academia are crucial to ensure that the future design of our city is more than just 30-storey apartment towers. We need to think about the landscape of our communities in such a way that allows for inclusive change and dignified living for all.”
Poorna Patange (BAS ’20, MArch in progress) was part of the student team involved in the Tiny Homes research project, which included a display of the prototype at Cambridge City Hall for six weeks last year.
“The Tiny Homes project gave us students an incredible opportunity to bring architectural research into reality,” Patange said. “We know it won’t solve the housing crisis, but it can provide the region and those most affected with some support. This project is a good example of how architects can use design to make a meaningful difference to society, creating visibility around an issue while simultaneously contributing to its solution.”
The Tiny Homes project is led by Dr. Martine August, a planning professor, and architecture professors Adrian Blackwell (BES ’89, BArch ’91) and John McMinn.
"Two of our graduate students, Elizabeth Antczak (BAS ‘16, MArch in progress) and Katherine Kinsman (MES in progress), are busy gathering feedback on the prototype from individuals with lived experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity,” Blackwell said. “This will help us refine the design and give social service providers and city officials a better understanding of how a supportive or transitional tiny home community could work in Waterloo region.”
This project is a good example of how architects can use design to make a meaningful difference to society, creating visibility around an issue while simultaneously contributing to its solution.
