Dissertation - The tiny house movement and its adaption in Indian Context

A Dissertation / Architectural Project report on

THE TINY HOUSE MOVEMENT AND ITS ADAPTION IN INDIAN CONTEXT Submitted to Savitribai Phule University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the IV B. Arch. (2008) course.

By

AISHWARYA PANDIT

Under the Guidance of

Ar. Sanjeev Kulkarni

Aayojan School of Architecture and Design, Pune Savitribai Phule Pune University I

CERTIFICATE

I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the Dissertation titled “THE TINY HOUSE MOVEMENT AND ITS ADAPTION IN INDIAN CONTEXT” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Fourth Year Bachelor of Architecture (2008) course (IV B. Arch) submitted in SEDRAA’s Aayojan School of Architecture and Design, Pune is an authentic record of my own work carried out during the period from June 2017 to April 2018 under the supervision of Ar. Sanjeev Kulkarni

I declare that work submitted is my own research and wherever I have incorporated any information, data, maps, graphics, etc from different sources, it has duly acknowledged.

AISHWARYA PANDIT Name of Candidate

This is to certify that above statement made by the Candidate is correct to the best of our knowledge.

Ar. Anand Ukidve.

Principal, ASAD, Pune.

The Candidate has appeared for the examination held at the SEDRAA’s Aayojan School of Architecture and Design, Pune.

Dissertation Guide

External Examiner II

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regard to Ar. Sanjeev Kulkarni, for his exemplary guidance, valuable feedback, suggestions and constant encouragement throughout the duration of the research.

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TABLE CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

3

1.a. BACKGROUND RESEARCH

3

1.b AIM

4

1.c. OBJECTIVE

4

1.d RESEARCH QUESTIONS

4

1.e SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

4

1.f METHODOLOGY

5

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.a. ARTICLE 1

6

Small house, big impact 2.b. ARTICE 2 Growing tiny houses

7

3. DATA COLLECTION 3.1 Tiny house movement

9

3.2 Trends of houses in the tiny house movement 3.2aTiny house on foundations

12

3.2bTiny house on wheels

14

3.3 Tiny house communities

15

3.4 Unique and important aspects of a tiny house

17

4. DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 Building Materials used to construct a tiny house

18

4.2 Scope of research

20

4.2a. Context 1: Warm and Humid climate

21

4.2b. Context 2: Hot and Dry climate

23

4.2c. Context 3: Cold climate

25

5. CONCLUSION

27

6. GLOSSARY

28

7. REFERENCES

29

ANNEXURE 1

30

ANNEXURE 2

51 1

LIST OF FIGURES, PHOTOS, DRAWINGS, TABLES Figure 1: variations in size of houses Figure 2: cost differences Figure 3: Tiny house on foundation 1 Figure 4: Tiny house on foundation 2 Figure 5: Tiny house on foundation 3 Figure 6: tiny house on wheels and a trailer 1 Figure 7: tiny house on wheels and a trailer 2 Figure 8: the current options for travel with a tiny house in USA Figure 9: of other rental options such as backyards or RV parks Figure 10: states in USA that have developed the tiny house communities.

2

ABSTRACT

The increase in population and urbanization has led to widespread concern about the resulting volume of consumption. This is especially problematic in the housing market, where home size continues to grow. In the United States the average size of a single-family home has doubled since 1950, leading to a profound environmental impact. This paper will seek to address the problem of overconsumption by considering the benefits of intentionally downsizing in favor of smaller homes that still provide a good quality of life. Tiny houses have a demonstrably reduced impact on the environment as compared to large conventional houses. The campaign emphasizes downsizing

on

space

and

residential

amenities

in

order

to

save

on construction materials, energy resources, and everyday costs of living.

The increase in population and urbanization of India, it has led to a widespread concern about the resulting volume of consumption. India is a culturally and socially diverse country. Every region has its own specific tradition and social values. Norms regarding privacy and security of occupants, Lifestyle, indoor/outdoor activities, cooking etc., demand a very different system of domestic planning.

To build a tiny house in India, it needs to respond to different surroundings and site conditions in India. Also the type of building material used in the construction will largely depend upon the site surrounding and availability as minimum cost consumption would be an important criteria to focus on while constructing a tiny house.

The architectural requirements of a tiny house can adapt and transform a space with flexibility in designing by using minimum spatial requirement, use of low-cost materials, local techniques that are adaptive to the context of the region, may help preserve these cultural practices in the modern world. This paper aims to address the design aspects required to adapt the tiny house movement in India.

3

1. INTRODUCTION 1.a BACKGROUND RESEARCH The increase in population and urbanization has led to widespread concern about the resulting volume of consumption. This is especially problematic in the housing market, where home size continues to grow. In most parts of the world, housing prices continue to rise as incomes diminish or stay stagnant. The majority of people’s paychecks often go toward their rent or mortgage, leaving them less money for other necessities like food, healthcare, education, and transportation. As a result of this disconcerting economic disparity, The Tiny House Movement was born.

The Tiny House Movement encourages people to downsize their lives, and especially their living footprint. Tiny houses are residential buildings typically less than 400 square feet – larger than a shed, but not quite big enough to be called a cottage. They have nearly all the facilities and rooms a regular home has, but in a more compact area, without all the “excess” space.

The underlying concept behind Tiny Houses is to accommodate those in need of the basic necessities in response to the lack of accommodation in growing, overcrowded cities. Such a unit should account for the day-to-day needs of people and enable users to live in small spaces whilst having all the necessary functions and amenities of a regular home - a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. The tiny housing trend is centered on individuals who intentionally downsize their living quarters. The campaign emphasizes downsizing

on

space

and

residential

amenities

in

order

to

save

on construction materials, energy resources, and everyday costs of living. Tiny houses are appealing to those concerned about both the environment and their own financial prosperity. Small homes are also relatively affordable and easy to build, which means most homeowners can design and construct their own place. They can be built to be mobile, too, which makes them convenient for people who move often people join the movement for various reasons including environmental awareness, personal freedom, affordability, and a willingness to change their lives.

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1.b AIM: To study the Tiny House Movement and identify the design aspects required to adapt the tiny house movement in India.

1.c OBJECTIVES: 1. To study the Tiny House Movement the trends of houses seen in the movement.

2. To search for unique and important aspects within a house that is designed to be of a very small square footage area.

3. To identify and study the different design aspects which will cater the needs of a tiny house in India.

4. To compare the design aspects required to build a tiny house in the prevalent movement and in India.

1.d RESEARCH QUESTIONS: i.

What is the Tiny House Movement?

ii.

What are the design aspects required to build a tiny house in India?

1.e SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS: To identify the requirements for construction of a tiny house for the following 3 contexts: i.

Warm and Humid

ii. Hot and Dry iii. Cold

5

1.f METHODOLOGY Important design aspects of a tiny house in the tiny house movement were identified based on the literature study done to understand the movement and the trends of houses seen in the movement. Three physical contexts of India were selected and based on these contexts the building materials and the design requirements to build a tiny house in India were studied in detail. The findings are compared to analyze how the movement can be adapted in India.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.a ARTICLE 1: Author: Charlie Kilman Refer Annexure 2

Small House, Big Impact This research broadly covers the effect of tiny houses on community and environment.

A typical tiny house consists of a great room that combines both kitchen and living room to maximize space. It also includes designs multifunctional spaces by the use of many clever shelving solutions that solve storage issues.

Tiny houses have become popular despite their limited square footage because of dissatisfaction with the ever increasing cost of living and unavailability of large spaces.

This article covers how a tiny house can create a sustainable living conditions in less space and by saving money. The tiny home can alter dominant narratives because it optimizes situations so that people can easily make environmentally and socially sound decisions. Or as Michael Bell writes in Introduction to Environmental Sociology: "What

is necessary is to create social situations in which people take environmentally

appropriate action, even when, as will often be the case, they are not at that moment consciously considering the environmental consequences of those actions. What is necessary is to reconstitute our situations so what we daily find ourselves doing compromises neither our social nor our environmental lives."

Author concludes by describing how living in tiny spaces changes the living experience and how has it helped the owners to cut down on consumption and waste of goods and save money. It builds stronger ecological ethic as well as stronger community values and helps the owner to value physical goods, personal relationships and environment, all while providing a greater amount of economic freedom. Tiny house living can prove to be a challenging endeavor; however, for some, it is a perfect fit and a viable housing solution.

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2.a ARTICLE 2: Author: Amelia Mutter Refer Annexure 1

Growing tiny houses The increase in population and urbanization has led to widespread concern about the resulting volume of consumption. More people require more food, goods, and space to thrive. When combined with continued development, population has led to an unsustainable consumption level.

Statistics suggest that mobility, food, and home building and demolition make up a substantial portion of this consumption, composing as much as 80% of environmental impact throughout the lifecycle. This is especially problematic in the housing market, where home size continues to grow. In the United States the average size of a single family home has doubled since 1950, leading to a profound environmental impact .In addition to the increased volume of raw materials used in building larger houses, they also require more energy for heating and cooling and lead to more storm-water runoff by decreasing permeable surface area.

In order to combat the trend of increasing resource use, attention has shifted toward implementing policies to encourage Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP).

One trend that has developed along the lines of SCP is a shift toward minimalistic housing. Although living in spaces with limited square footage is a reality for many people, this trend goes beyond that. The tiny housing trend is centered on individuals who intentionally downsize their living quarters. These people are working to change their own mindsets about what is “necessary� to their life and happiness. This trend was solidified in the United States in 2002, when the same year saw the establishment of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company as well as the Small House Society. Tiny homes require fewer resources, but also tend to be cost-efficient and well designed. They can be the perfect size for empty nesters, students, or for elderly parents and they can be used as home offices or guesthouses (Foreman, 2005). Tiny houses are typically between 65 and 400 square feet (6 and 37 square meters) and the number of people living in them seem to be growing.

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This article aims to establish a better understanding of what is currently going on in the tiny housing trend. This objective focuses on gaining an increased understanding of the primary factors involved in the trend, of motivations and challenges behind the shift to tiny housing, and of prominent aspects of the trend.

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3. DATA COLLECTION 3.1 The Tiny House Movement The increase in population and urbanization has led to widespread concern about the resulting volume of consumption. This is especially problematic in the housing market, where home size continues to grow. In most parts of the world, housing prices continue to rise as incomes diminish or stay stagnant. The majority of people’s paychecks often go toward their rent or mortgage, leaving them less money for other necessities like food, healthcare, education, and transportation. As a result of this disconcerting economic disparity, The Tiny House Movement was born.

The Tiny House Movement encourages people to downsize their lives, and especially their living footprint. Tiny houses are residential buildings typically less than 400 square feet – larger than a shed, but not quite big enough to be called a cottage. They have nearly all the facilities and rooms a regular home has, but in a more compact area, without all the “excess” space.

Houses began to grow in size alongside improvements in economy and healthcare. The Development of medicine offered much longer lifespan that prevented people from dying at an early stage. This inclined people to build larger houses and own more things; they began investing in long term lifestyles. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average U.S. single family house in 1900 was 700 square feet. This jumped to 1000 square feet in 1949, 1660 square feet in 1973, and 2500 square feet in 2005.

Tiny houses on other hand, are typically one tenth the size of today's average house.

Figure 1:variations in size of houses

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The tiny house movement offers lifestyle with many attractive aspects. One of the main reason the movement is growing so rapidly is because of the affordability. "According to the tinylife.com, in 2013 the average tiny house cost mere $23000 to build versus $272000 for a full sized house." The size alone is an obvious reason as to why tiny houses are so cheap, but owners are able to reduce their costs in other ways as well. It is much practical to build a tiny house with local or recyled material to reduce the costs.

Constructing a tiny house allows homeowners to manual labour which further assists with building costs.

Figure 2: cost differences With various environmental issues looming over our head, it is more important than ever to employ sustainable design in architecture. Being green is another important reason why people are going tiny. There are many ways tiny house can minimize leaving environmental footprint. Tiny houses can be built with reclaimed materials and manual labor. Solar power is a great way to provide electricity to a tiny house, because of the size few panels are required to fully power the entire house. Composting toilets are also common feature in tiny houses, which do not require water and are able to give fertilized matter back to the earth when the composting process is complete. If homeowners choose to use a water collection system in conjunction with a composting toilet, they are able to live without connection to public water. These systems will provide filtered water to the house that can be used on a daily basis. It is also common for tiny homeowners to embrace sustainability even more by growing their own food.

These are just some of the few eco-friendly elements that are incorporated into tiny houses.

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The continuous increase in population in India was a widespread concern about the resulting volume of consumption. A large amount of this population consisted of the low income group. Need for providing shelter to this group gave rise to affordable housing in the housing market of India. More number of small houses were seen in India. In most of these houses, specific spaces aren't defined inside the house. The small houses in the housing market of India focuses more on the low income group, as the financial conditions don't allow them to afford big houses. Whereas is in the tiny house movement people deliberately choose to downsize the needs and move into a tiny house.

The most important aspect of tiny house is multifunctional spaces and modular furniture carefully selected and designed to solve multiple purposes.

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3.2 Trends of houses in the tiny house movement:

3.2a Tiny house on foundation: As for a connection between space and place, tiny houses are often purpose a unique situation. Sometimes these houses are built on a foundation. In this case, the site is carefully selected and designed and constructed with a strong connection to it. However many tiny houses are constructed on wheels, allowing the owners to live a more adventurous lifestyle and have the opportunity to reside in different locations

Figure 3: Tiny house on foundation 1

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Figure 4: Tiny house on foundation 2

Figure 5: Tiny house on foundation 3

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3.2bTiny house on wheels: The majority of tiny houses are on wheels, allowing them to be easily transported to different locations. Owners of tiny homes therefore have a great flexibility; they are able to easily pick up and move their entire lives to a new location as frequently or infrequently as they would like. Combined with the opportunities to be off the grid and have a career flexibility, tiny homes allow for a nomadic life centered around experience.

Figure 6: tiny house on wheels and a trailer 1

Figure 7: tiny house on wheels and a trailer 2

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3.3Tiny House communities: As the tiny house movement is scaling quickly, the amount of locations homeowners can reside in is also growing. There are approximately 50 existing organized communities specifically for tiny houses. Spur, Texas is the first town in the country to become "tiny house friendly". The town's mission statement is focusing on re-creating a sense of community and self sufficiency that has been lost to cities.

.

Figure 8: the current options for travel with a tiny house in USA

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Figure 9: of other rental options such as backyards or RV parks

Figure 10: states in USA that have developed the tiny house communities.

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3.4Unique and important aspects within a tiny house : Perhaps the most important aspect of tiny homes is multifunctional space and furniture, carefully selected and designed to solve multiple purposes.

•

Tiny houses are built from recycled materials.

•

Multifunctional space

•

Minimal spatial requirements

•

Minimal environmental impact

•

Modular furniture

•

Smaller or fewer appliances

•

Composting toilet

•

Water conserving fixtures

•

Energy efficient appliances

•

Garbage composting

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4. DATA ANALYSIS

4.1Building Materials used to construct a tiny house : Criteria

Features

Wall

Structurally Insulated Panels (SIP's)

SIPs (Structurally Insulated Panels) are a wall system that consists of an insulating foam core, sandwiched between two pieces of sheathing. SIP’s are built in a factory and only assembled at the build site.

Tiny House

•

Wood

Trailer

•

Dimensional Lumber

•

Plywood

•

Exterior Siding and Trim

• Interior Siding and Trim Insulation

Flooring

•

XPS Boards

•

Spray Foam

•

House wrap and Tape

•

Hardwood Flooring

•

Tile

•

Mortar, Thinset, Adhesive

• Flooring Transition Pieces Paint

•

Paints and Stains

•

Construction Adhesive

19

Roofing

Millwork

•

Metal Roofing

•

Tar paper

•

Rain and Ice Shield Roofing

•

Exterior Door

•

Interior Door

•

Windows

•

Shims

20

4.2 Scope of research: To build a tiny house in India, it needs to respond to different surroundings and site conditions in India.

There are various factors affecting the construction of a tiny house depending upon the physical aspects of the site. Also the type of building material used in the construction will largely depend upon the site surrounding and availability as minimum cost consumption would be a important criteria to focus on while constructing a tiny house.

Following are some of the aspects of a tiny house: 1.

Physical aspects of the site

2.

Building Materials and Technology

To further identify the requirements for construction of a tiny house, 3 different contexts have been selected: i.

Warm and Humid

ii. Hot and Dry iii. Cold This will help to study in detail the various building materials that can be used in these locations and how physical context affects the further decisions of use of building materials and architectural detailing of the tiny house in that location.

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4.3a Context 1:Warm and Humid climate

Criteria

Features

Climate

Warm and Humid Climate

Design

•

Maximum ventilation and free air movement.

requirements

•

Maximum shading from solar radiation.

•

Avoid heat storage.

•

Vegetation to moderate the solar impact.

•

The main elevations and rooms should be placed facing north and south and towards the prevailing wind.

Orientation

•

Large openings.

•

Reflective outer surfaces.

•

Ventilated double roofs.

•

vegetation to moderate the solar impact

Along the east-west axis.

Activity: Bedrooms

Bedrooms can be adequately located on the east side, where it is

.

coolest in the evening. Good cross-ventilation is especially important for these rooms.

Stores and other auxiliary spaces can be located on the west side.

Kitchen

Provided the kitchen is mainly used during morning and midday hours, it can be located on the west side as well.

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Main room

The main rooms which are in use most times of the day, such as living rooms, should not be located on the east or west side.

Building Material:

Roof

Mangalore tiles Palm trees for thatched roof Broken tiles Photovoltaic panels Terracotta Clay

Walls

In addition to provide shelter from rain and heat, the form of roof should be planned to promote air flow. Vents at the rooftop effectively induce ventilation and draw hot air out. A double roof with a ventilated space in between can also be used to promote air flow.

Mud Stone Granite Bricks

The walls should be painted light pastel shades or whitewashed, to reflect sunlight back to the environment, and hence reduce heat gain. The use of appropriate colors & surface finishes is a cheap & very effective technique to lower indoor temperature.

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4.3b Context 2: Hot and Dry Climate

Criteria

Features

Climate

Hot and dry

Design

•

requirements

Maximum shading of direct and reflected sun radiation in the hot season.

•

Maximum ventilation by regulated air movement

•

Avoid large exposed exterior surfaces.

•

Balance the extremes of day and night temperatures by adequate thermal storage mass

•

Reduce internal heat production and conduction gain in hot seasons.

•

Evaporation and heat loss by radiation.

•

air circulation

•

Balance the extremes of summer and winter by movable parts.

•

Small openings.

•

Reflective outer surfaces.

More windows should be provided in the north facade of the building as compared to the east, west and south as it receives lesser radiation throughout the year. Openings are necessary for natural lighting and ventilation. and window Orientation

Sun orientation: •

Along the east-west axis.

Wind-orientation: •

Main walls and windows should face the prevailing (cool) wind

direction

in

order

cross-ventilation of the rooms.

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to

allow

maximum

Activity: Bedrooms

Bedrooms can be adequately located on the east side, where it is coolest in the evening. Good cross-ventilation is especially important for these rooms.

Stores and other auxiliary spaces can be located on the west side.

Kitchen

Provided the kitchen is mainly used during morning and midday hours, it can be located on the west side as well.

Main room

The main rooms which are in use most times of the day, such as living rooms, should not be located on the east or west side.

Building Material: Roof

•

Flat roof

•

Earthen pots for insulation

In addition to provide shelter from rain and heat, the form of roof should be planned to promote air flow. Vents at the rooftop effectively induce ventilation and draw hot air out. A double roof with a ventilated space in between can also be used to promote air flow.

Walls

•

Sun dried earth bricks

•

Mud plaster

•

Concrete

•

Double walls with insulation.

•

The walls should be painted light pastel shades or whitewashed, to reflect sunlight back to the environment, and hence reduce heat gain. The use of appropriate colors & surface finishes is a cheap & very effective technique to lower indoor temperature.

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4.3c Context 3: Cold climate

Criteria

Features

Climate

Cold

Design

• Maximum thermal resistance

requirements

• Maximum thermal capacity • Increase buffer spaces • Decrease air exchange rate • Reduce shading

• Thicker walls • Roof insulation, wall insulation and double glazing • Utilize heat from appliances • Trapping heat • Uses of trees as wind barriers.

Orientation

Sun orientation: Along the east-west axis.

Wind-orientation: Main walls and windows should face the prevailing (cool) wind direction in order to allow maximum cross-ventilation of the rooms.

Activity: Bedrooms

Bedroom will be on south west of the house,

Kitchen

Kitchen will be on south east of the house.

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Main room

The main rooms which are in use most times of the day, such as living rooms, should be located on the south side

Building Material:

Roof

Slate Timber Sloping roof Gable roofs are used in hilly areas, as these roof types are able to shed snow in the hilly areas. The main used material for roofing in hilly area is timber, as it is locally available from the trees. Trees which are used for this purpose are cedar.

The light-weight roof construction and the air between the roofing and attic-floor provided a very good thermal insulation against the passage of heat. Low pitched roof provides a good solution to drain off the rain-water/ snow from the dwellings.

Walls

Double walls with insulation.

Timber paneled wall will be used instead of brick or stone masonry.

Construction technique :KATH KHUNI TECHNIQUE • Made of alternate courses of dry stone masonry and wood without cementing mortar.

• Layering and inter locking timber and stone provides strength, stability and flexibility (Earthquake resistant).

• These heavy walls allow a good thermal insulation

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5. CONCLUSION With the growing population and increasing cost of houses, Tiny Houses can accommodate those in need of the basic necessities in response to the lack of accommodation in growing, overcrowded cities.

It is necessary to understand the context of the site during the initial stages of design.

The physical aspects of the site affect the design of a tiny house. As minimum cost consumption would be an important criteria to focus on while constructing a tiny house, it is preferred to use the local building materials suitable for the physical aspects of that area. With the use of local materials and techniques of construction, labor and transport cost can be reduced during the construction process.

The underlying concept behind Tiny Houses is to accommodate those in need of the basic necessities in response to the lack of accommodation in growing, overcrowded cities. Such a unit should account for the day-to-day needs of people and enable users to live in small spaces whilst having all the necessary functions and amenities of a regular home - a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. The tiny houses focus on users who are willing to downsize their needs and on space and residential amenities in order to save on construction materials, energy resources, and everyday costs of living. Older couples, families with children, young couples, and individuals are also some of the users. These houses can also be used by residents who are in need and can afford only basic amenities and a small space. These houses can also function as a vacation home, retreat home, studio apartments, and office spaces.

Strong concepts of culture religion and tradition coupled with political, corruption, security and shortage of resources make designing for this context volatile and complex.

India is a culturally and socially diverse country. Every region has its own specific tradition and social values. Norms regarding privacy and security of occupants, Lifestyle, indoor/outdoor activities, cooking etc., demand a very different system of domestic planning. The architectural requirements of a tiny house can adapt and transform a space with flexibility in designing by using minimum spatial requirement, use of low-cost materials, local techniques that are adaptive to the context of the region, may help preserve these cultural practices in the modern world.

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7. GLOSSARY

Tiny House Movement: it is a social movement where people are choosing to downsize the space they live in.

Downsize: to get rid of objects in the house and keeping only the stuff of basic necessity.

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8. REFERENCES

http://thetinylife.com/ryans-tiny-house/tiny-house-building-checklist/ https://www.tinyhomebuilders.com/materials#dimensional-lumber https://issuu.com/kmakepeace2/docs/makepeace_finaldeliverable1_theguid https://issuu.com/alyssadanielewicz/docs/tiny_house__big_thesis https://www.tinyhomebuilders.com/materials https://thetinylife.com/what-is-the-tiny-house-movement/ https://www.tinyhomebuilders.com/help/what-is-a-tiny-house-and-the-tiny-house-mo vement http://bctinyhousecollective.com/research/ http://tinyhousetalk.com/tiny-house-movement/ http://www.sophersparn.com/the-benefits-drawbacks-of-a-tiny-house/ https://www.cdgai.com/single-post/the-Tiny-House-Movement

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