The Tiny House Movement in Lebanon

Photo by Piers Taylor via Dezeen

The Tiny House Movement in Lebanon An attainable goal or a dead end?

Nour Tabet 201406993 Fall 2019

Urban Planning I Dr. Rachid Chamoun Section 32

Topic 15 Population Issues and Spatial Impacts

Abstract Over the past two decades, tiny houses have become a popular contemporary trend as a simple and affordable form of living. Tiny houses are defined as buildings between 10-50 m2 whose purpose is to provide a home. These dwellings come in different forms such as shipping containers, wooden sheds, tin shacks or even demountable buildings. Tiny houses gained a lot of popularity at the end of the 20th century, starting in the United States before moving to Australia and Europe. This popularity lead to what is now known as the Tiny House or Small House movement. The widespread of tiny houses in the United States gained success between the years 2008-2010 as a result of the US’s economic collapse. This collapse eventually resulted in a mortgage crisis, driving people towards cheap and affordable living. Likewise, news of the Lebanese economy going bankrupt has become prominent for more than a decade, leading to an inevitable downfall for the property and housing market. This made affordable housing unattainable to middle-low classes in Lebanon. The following paper examines the possibility of the Tiny House movement being a solution to affordable housing in Lebanon. The United States and Japan are taken as case studies to compare economic and social situations with respect to compact living. Based on these case studies, economic and social factors affecting Lebanon are then assessed in order to see the potential of tiny houses as affordable living in Lebanon.

Key Words Compact living, tiny house, small living, affordable housing, movement, United States, Japan, Lebanon, Economy, Crisis, Culture

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Outline | Table of Content

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Case Study I: United States............................................................................................................. 4

Case Study II: Japanese Compact Living ....................................................................................... 6

In Retrospect: Lebanon’s situation and potential.......................................................................... 10

Financial Factors: Drawing Conclusions from Case Study I .................................................... 10

Cultural Factors: Drawing Conclusions from Case Study II..................................................... 14

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 17

Consulted Peers............................................................................................................................. 19

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 21

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Introduction “You know you have reached perfection of design not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) Though the idea of tiny dwellings has been present since the Pioneer ages (refer to Figure 1), what is known as the “Tiny House Movement” started in the more recent years of the 1970s. Among the pioneers of this movement were artists and writers such as Allan Wexler and Henry David Thoreau. (Home Stratosphere, 2017). Tiny houses are generally thought of as small buildings between 10-50 m2 whose purpose is to provide a home. These dwellings come in different forms such as shipping containers, wooden sheds, tin shacks or even demountable buildings. The choice to live in a tiny house can had stemmed from the desire to live a minimal life, from environmental reasons or from financial needs. (Dillashaw, 2014). The movement then started to gain popularity with Jay Shafer’s tiny house which made it to the front page of Des Moines Register, December 2000. (Whitford, n.d.). This popularity increased in the Unites States in 2008 as a result of the US’s economic collapse. This collapse eventually resulted in a mortgage crisis, driving people towards cheap and affordable living. Likewise, with recent news of an “Economic Emergency” and the possible Bankruptcy of the Lebanese economy, surviving financially in Lebanon has become a solid obstacle. As a result, the property and house market are suffering with low demands and falling prices just as construction activity has been drastically decreasing over the years. (De Guzman, 2019). With the Lebanese Economy always struggling to walk the tightrope between potential and downfall, can the Tiny House Movement be an alternative for affordable housing?

In order to answer this question, it is essential to establish an understanding of what influences the success and spread of tiny houses across a country.

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Figure 1: Early form of tiny living: Dating back to more than 600BCE, a yurt is a moveable, circular dwelling native to Central Asia. (National Geographic Society, 2019). Photograph by Philip Arneill.

Case Study I: United States The first case study focuses on economic factors that encouraged tiny house living in the United States. Back in 2008, the U.S. was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of 1929. The crisis resulted in what came to be known as the “Great Recession� where housing prices dropped down 31.8% and unemployment remained well above 9% even in 2010. (Amadeo, 2019). Not only did this crisis leave 7 million Americans without homes or retirement accounts, but it also lead to another crisis: the Mortgage Crisis. Tired of running the rat race and burnt by the stock market, people turned to the Tiny House movement as a form of affordable living or even comfortable retirement plan. Instead of the typical 200m2 apartments, 4

people opted for houses as tiny as 20m2. (Whitford, n.d.). This allowed people to save up to more than $16,000 on down-payment alone. Andrew Morrison, a professional builder, expert in tiny houses and the creator of “hOMeâ€?, helps explain how “living within the scale of your humanityâ€? works through a series of calculations. đ??ťđ?‘œđ?‘˘đ?‘ đ?‘–đ?‘›đ?‘” đ??śđ?‘œđ?‘ đ?‘Ą x 100 = % đ?‘œđ?‘“ đ?‘ đ?‘’đ?‘Ą đ?‘–đ?‘›đ?‘?đ?‘œđ?‘šđ?‘’ đ?‘˘đ?‘ đ?‘’đ?‘‘ đ?‘Ąđ?‘œ đ?‘?đ?‘Žđ?‘Ś đ?‘“đ?‘œđ?‘&#x; â„Žđ?‘œđ?‘˘đ?‘ đ?‘–đ?‘›đ?‘” đ?‘ đ?‘’đ?‘Ą đ?‘€đ?‘œđ?‘›đ?‘Ąâ„Žđ?‘™đ?‘Ś đ??źđ?‘›đ?‘?đ?‘œđ?‘šđ?‘’ Most Americans’ net income would yield somewhere around 27%. This means that 27% of the income goes for housing cost, without considering maintenance, utilities or other costs. In terms of working hours, this 27% would translate to 10.8 hours /40-hour work week (about 2 days) contributing to only housing costs. (TEDx Talks, 2014). When it comes to building a tiny house in the United States, the average cost would range from $20,000 to $55,000. (UpNest, n.d). For the following example, Morrison uses a cost of $33,090 based on the price of his house (refer to Figure 2) and compares it to the national average of $246,453 for building a house, according to the National Association of Home Builders. In addition to the building cost is the 20% Average Down Payment, which in this case would yield $49,291. This means that constructing a tiny house in this case saved $16,201 on down payment ($33,090 - $49,291=16,201) without considering the remaining construction cost of a house. This also means avoiding any future payments and the possibility of a 30-year mortgage. (TEDx Talks, 2014). On average, 70% of tiny house owners no longer had mortgage or debt after the first year of owning a tiny house. As a result, nearly 700 new tiny houses are built per year, creating an estimate of 10,000 tiny houses in Northern America. (Stephens and Parsons, 2018).

In conclusion, tiny houses can present a financial refuge for people suffering from mortgage or debt by saving up on down payment and construction cost.

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Figure 2 Andrew Morrison's $33,000 tiny house. Photograph by Andrew Morrison.

Case Study II: Japanese Compact Living The second case study taken in this research focuses on Japan and the cultural factors that play a role in the widespread of compact living. To begin with, both the Japanese culture and their main religion of Shintoism regard Nature as a sacred entity that should be preserved and respected. (McDougall, 2018). As such, it comes as no surprise that more than two thirds of Japan consists of forested mountains and hills as opposed to the 10% residential and industrial areas. (Japan-guide.com, n.d.). This has also helped shape the Japanese culture and their inclination towards small living. Modestly, Japanese do not regard themselves as more valuable than nature, but rather as one with nature. Thus, Japanese prefer living in small houses in order to 6

gain outdoor space rather than confined indoor spaces. This ideal of small living has also managed to transcend social and economic statuses. It is such modesty that also caught the eye of Le Corbusier during his visit to Japan in 1953. “La princesse est modeste!” (“The princess is modest”) exclaimed Le Corbusier upon seeing that the princess in the Katsura Imperial Villa slept in the same 96x192 tatami found in traditional houses. (Refer to Figures 3 & 4). (Masson, 2015).

Figure 3: Katsura Imperial Villa. Photograph by Kimon Berlin.

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Figure 4: Tatami mats found in Katsura Imperial Villa. Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Katsura Imperial Villa 1981-1982. Collection of The Museum of Art, Kochi.

Moreover, as Dr. Basmaji, Ph.D. Architecture received as a previous member of Tadao Ando Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, Japan, explains that even the geographic and topographical nature of Japan has played a role in the culture of small living. Seeing that rural areas in Japan are prone to natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions (Kono, 2016), the Japanese have grown accustomed to building small flexible and moveable spaces rather than large and permanent structures. As for the urban setting, people are drawn to small living either for financial reasons or for spatial issues. As a matter of fact, several long and narrow plots of lands between buildings are spread across Central Tokyo. These plots are referred to as unagi-no-nedoko (“eel bed”) and are often kept unused. Architect Toshiaki Ishida took it upon himself to transform an “eel bed” plot found in Itabashi district, North of Tokyo, into a 16m long x1.7m deep house. Each of the three floors of the building acts as a one-room space. Large openings were integrated into the building to create “large” 8

breathable spaces. (Refer to Figure 5). This example is only one of many examples of compact living in Japan. In fact, compact living in Tokyo is so common that architect Denso Sugiura tends to lean towards creating 6x2m houses usually consisting of 3 floors. (Refer to Figure 6).

He, among many, is able to use small plots to create homes instead of residual spaces. (Freeman, 2004).

Figure 5: Narrow buildings of Tokyo (Left) Toshiaki Ishida's eel bed building from the outside. (Right) Inside the eel bed building. Photograph by Michael Freeman.

Figure 6: Floor Plan Example of Denso Sugiura of Arts + Crafts' Tiny houses. The following example is situated in Suginami-ku, Tokyo and is 54m2.

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In conclusion, when it comes to tiny or small living in Japan, cultural, natural and economic factors encourage modest living. With their adaptable architecture that creates moveable and expandable spaces, small living in Japan is not regarded as an urban solution for temporary residency but rather a long-lasting home suitable even for families.

In Retrospect: Lebanon’s situation and potential In order to better evaluate the potential of the Tiny House Movement in Lebanon, specific factors are studied to draw conclusions.

Financial Factors: Drawing Conclusions from Case Study I Based on Case Study I of the United States, tiny houses are considered cost friendly since they do not necessarily require a building permit or a down-payment and can save around $220,000 in construction costs. In order to study these factors in Lebanon, Mr. Yves Ackaouy, of PuraVida initiative for building tiny houses in Lebanon, was consulted. The PuraVida initiative has managed to build three tiny houses in Lebanon within the span of two years. (Refer to Figures 7-9). These houses are currently used for Airbnb purposes. For the below calculations, a two-person household is assumed in order to compare results to Mr. Ackouy’s tiny houses of 1525m2 which comfortably fit two people.

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Figure 7: Mr. Ackaouy's suggested Floor Plan for a tiny house. Dimensions vary from a length of 6-9m, a width of 2.3-2.7m and a height of 3.8-4.5m. taken from tinyhouselebanon.com.

Figure 8: Mr. Ackaouy's first Tiny House located in Batroun, Lebanon. Photograph taken from tinyhouselebanon.com.

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Figure 9: Inside Mr. Ackaouy's first Tiny House located in Batroun, Lebanon. Photograph taken from tinyhouselebanon.com.

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Building Permits Based on Mr. Ackaouy’s experience, the construction of a tiny house in Lebanon does not require a building permit, seeing that no construction laws and regulations for this type of new construction exist yet in Lebanon. As for the cost of a building permit in Lebanon, $6,441.98 is required as building permit taxes to be collected by the respective municipalities.

(Doing Business 2020: Economy Profile of Lebanon, 2019).

Construction Costs The construction cost of a tiny house, can range from $15,000 and go up to $70,000 if not more, depending on the type and quality of the chosen material. (Griswold, 2016). When it came to constructing a tiny house, Mr. Ackaouy and his partners spent $35,000 – excluding furniture – to build their first tiny house. Mr. Ackouy explains that the price could drop down to $15,000 for such a construction, however, material quality was a priority for the long run of the built tiny house. On the other hand, the minimum construction cost of a 120m2 house in Lebanon exceeds the minimum construction cost of a tiny house by $25,000. This is mainly so since the minimum permittable construction is 120m2, with Beirut Zone 3 taken as an example. (Saksouk, n.d.). With reinforced concrete being the most common and affordable material, a 120m2 construction would cost a minimum of nearly $40,000. (Opportunities.com.lb, 2018).

Rent Seeing that 67% of Lebanese households live in apartments (Yaacoub and Badre, 2012), many of which are rented out, it is also important to consider the minimum price of $427/month for renting a 1-bedroom apartment outside of the city center. (Numbeo.com, 2019). At this rate,

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the price of renting such a space for the extent of 3 years would eventually be equal to constructing and owning a $15,000 tiny house.

Running and Maintenance Cost Another important financial factor to take into consideration is the running cost of a tiny house. According to Mr. Ackaouy, the current running cost of a tiny house in terms of utilities is $600/ year seeing that it does not consume much electricity and uses an average of 1 gas tank/ year. This means that the maintenance cost of a tiny house is nearly 5% of the total construction cost. As for an average 85m2 apartment house in Lebanon, such costs go up to $1,650/ year for basic utilities excluding internet costs. (Numbeo.com, 2019). It is also important to note that even the cleaning of the tiny house aids in saving money on the long run. The average time spent cleaning the relatively small size of a tiny house is 15 minutes, costing nearly $540/year for daily cleaning services at the rate of $6/hour. Meanwhile, the average Lebanese household spends no less than 200$/month on cleaning services alone, adding up to $2,400. (Ronn, 2017). As such, the tiny house can save up to $2,910 in terms of running and maintenance cost.

Conclusion Adding up the cost of a building permit, a tiny house in Lebanon can save up to $25,000 in terms of construction and $2,910/year in terms of running and maintenance cost. Even if one may choose to rent out a 1-bedroom apartment (nearly 85m2 apartment), the rent of 3years would eventually reach the minimum price of $15,000 for constructing and owning a tiny house.

Cultural Factors: Drawing Conclusions from Case Study II Just as the Japanese culture played a role in the widespread of small house living, the Lebanese culture plays a major role in the potential of tiny houses in Lebanon. To begin with, it 14

is important to understand the collectivistic nature of Lebanese people. Seeing that Lebanese often identify themselves as members of groups, their lives greatly revolves around social gatherings. (Evason, 2019). In such gatherings, adults often sit in what is referred to as a “salon” – large sitting area designated to receive and host guests – while kids often play in a separate room or interact with the guests. In addition to meeting over coffee, Lebanese people often meet over large feasts that would require the gathering to move from the “salon” to the dining area.

(Issa, 2015). As such, Lebanese houses are traditionally designed to include such spacious areas designated to the receiving of a large number of guests. Not only so, but some houses go to the extent of including several “salons” or even a private living room separate from these “salons”.

(Refer to Figures 10 & 11).

Figure 10: Typical floor plan of a Liwan house. The rooms can also function as gathering spaces. Relatively large rooms (in comparison to Japanese compact living) are considered a norm in such a culture. Image provided by Daisy Hanna.

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Figure 11: Typical floor plan of a central hall house. The rooms can also function as gathering spaces. Relatively large rooms (in comparison to Japanese compact living) are considered a norm in such a culture. Image from fouadsamaraarchitects.com

Another cultural aspect that affects the potential of small living in Lebanon is the consumption culture. Due to the presence of social differences and the desire to look rich, Lebanese consumers tend to get caught between greed and need. Bigger houses, newer cars, expensive and newer items are all regarded as indicators of high social status. Regardless of financial abilities, Lebanese who have fallen prey to this consumerism culture tend to prefer going into debt in order to buy such luxuries rather than risk looking poor or outdated. This has only created a larger gap among economic and social classes at the price of sustainable economic and environmental developments. (Rizk, 2008).

Finally, it is important to note that nature is not regarded as a priority in the government’s agenda. Instead, politicians prioritize business contracts over those concerning the environment.

(Jreissati, 2019). Nonetheless, certain environmental advocates and NGOs have taken initiatives 16

concerning the environment such as Recycle Beirut and Arc-en-Ciel, both of which are NGOs that work on promoting recycling in Lebanon. Still, such initiatives have not yet reached all areas of Lebanon just as the idea of preserving nature has not been properly instilled in people across the country. (El Ghusayni, 2018).

As a whole, the collective nature of Lebanese people, the consumer culture and disregard to the importance of nature preservation present an obstacle in front of the advocating of small living. These factors, instead, call for bigger and more spacious areas at the expense of Mother Nature. Such factors were also responsible for Mr. Ackaouy’s initiative of tiny house living taking a turn towards hospitality and management rather than real estate. Though Mr. Ackaouy would have wanted to encourage the idea of tiny house living, people were not ready to compromise their lifestyle. Instead, they saw these tiny houses or cabins as cute weekend getaways, which eventually resulted in their use as Airbnb.

Conclusion In conclusion, the potential of the Tiny House movement taking a toll in Lebanon lies on a thin line between succeeding in its role or diverting from its main purpose. In order to conduct this assessment, two case studies were taken focusing on economic and cultural factors that play a role in the succeeding of the movement. The first study case – focusing on the economic factors – evaluated the widespread of tiny houses in the United States back in 2008. The second study case – focusing on cultural factors – highlighted the role of the Japanese culture in the prevalent ideal of small living in Japan. Conclusions from these two case studies were then compared to Lebanon. In terms of economic factors, tiny house living in Lebanon proved to be a suitable solution, saving up to $25,000 in construction costs and $2,910/ year for running costs.

On the other hand, cultural aspects – collectivism, consumerism and marginalization of nature – 17

present in the Lebanese society presented an obstacle in the face of tiny house living. These factors encourage large living and regard living small as living in poverty. As a result, in its early form, the Tiny House movement has taken a hospitality and management turn instead providing affordable housing solutions. Still, a question remains unanswered. Are Lebanese people ready to let go of social standards in order to live more affordably and sustainably?

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Consulted Peers Marwan Basmaji Assistant Professor Ph.D.

Architecture,

University

of

Tokyo,

Japan

M.E.

Architecture,

University

of

Tokyo,

Japan

B.Arch. Architecture, Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik, Lebanon After having completed his Architectural studies in the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon in 1999, Dr. Marwan Basmaji received the Japanese Government Scholarship in order to pursue Master and Doctoral studies as part of Tadao Ando Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, Japan (2001-2008). Dr. Basmaji also worked at Arata Isozaki and Associates before finally establishing Basmaji and Bielinska Architects (BBA) alongside Mrs. Kamila Bielinska-Basmaji.

BBA studio won the Young Arab Architects Honor Award (2012) which was co-organized by CA’ASI, Venice Biennale 2012 and World Arab Institute. For the design of Barbar Temples Visitors Center in Bahrain, a commission by Bahrain Ministry of Culture, BBA studio also won the International Union of Architects Award for Young Architects-Leonardo Award (2013). BBA has also won other awards including the 1st prize in the Future Vision Leisure Architectural Competition in Austria; 2nd prize in the Environment Competition organized by ESCWA-UN, Lebanon; 3rd prize for the Wodka Museum, Poland; the Award of Merit in Kobe International Biennale in Japan and Nomination for the Lebanese Architects Awards inLebanon.

Dr. Basmaji’s work is divided among academic activities, commissions and competitions. Dr. Basmaji also has experience in teaching and directing design workshops. He was also a guest critic at several different institutions including Poland, Mexico, Switzerland, Lebanon, Tunisia, Bahrain and Cyprus. In Spring 2016, Dr. Marwan Basmaji joined the Lebanese American University faculty (LAU) as a part-time member in the School of Architecture and Design before becoming a fulltime member as of Fall 2018.

Dr. Marwan Basmaji was consulted for the writing of this paper during his office hours (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30AM-12:00PM) at the Lebanese American University in Byblos, Lebanon.

Having lived in Japan for several years, Dr. Basmaji was greatly able to contribute in what concerns the case study conducted on Japan’s compact living. He also recommended the book

Space: Japanese design solutions for compact living (2004) by Michael Freeman.

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Yves Ackaouy General Manager of Bthere Founder of Pura Vida initiative in Lebanon Bachelor of Science, Finance and Insurance, Northeastern University, United States Mr. Ackaouy started his career in October 1994 as Sales and Promotion at RĂŠmy Cointreau Distribution in France up until February 1995. He then moved to Export Sales and Marketing Manager at International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) from April 1995-December 2002. After that, in September 2003, he became the Area Manager of Middle-East and Africa at Capital Safety up until December 2006. In January 2007, Mr. Ackaouy became the Business Development Manager at Synergia for the next year before becoming the Co-founder of Signature Olfactive, an olfactive marketing and non-verbal communication stimuli. Then, in 2009, Mr. Ackaouy became an Associate Director at Synergia before leaving Signature Olfactive in 2010. After leaving Synergia in May 2019, Mr. Ackaouy became a General Manager of Bthere in Dubai.

Mr. Ackaouy, alongside his brother, also founded the PuraVida initiative for building Tiny Houses in Lebanon. So far, they have built three houses within nearly two years.

Mr. Yves Ackaouy was consulted for the writing of this paper, specifically in what concerns the tiny houses he has constructed in Lebanon. A meeting was held in Bolero, Batroun, Lebanon in the afternoon of Saturday September 14, 2019 where two of Mr. Ackaouy’s tiny houses were placed.

One of the houses had been constructed while the other had been in its final stage. Mr. Ackhaouy was able to explain more about tiny houses through the physical presence of his houses and through a site visit. Mr. Ackaouy also brought the attention to the cultural factors affecting the Tiny House movement in Lebanon as well as the 2008 economic crisis of the United States.

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