Tiny house manual

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

Solar system network design provided by Wholesale Solar

MIDNITE MIDNITE MIDNITE
MNPV-3 CLASSIC MPPT 150V MNDC
CHARGE CONTROLLER QUAD BOX
3 POSITION 150V WITH BUILT-IN DC-GFP
COMBINER BOX AND ARC FAULT W/MNEDC-100
W/MNEPV-15 100 AMP DC BREAKER
15 AMP DC BREAKERS SOLAR INPUT
150VDC DIN
W/MNSPD-300-DC W/MNEDC-100
SURGE SUPPRESSOR 100 AMP DC BREAKER
300VDC BATTERY OUTPUT

3 - #10 PV 1000V CU USER SUPPLIED
(CUT TO LENGTH) 1 - #6 CU GRD

(EQUIPMENT)

1. SOLAR PV MODULES B PV PV/B
SOLARWORLD USER SUPPLIED USER SUPPLIED
SW315 MONO PRO XL 2 - #4 THWN-2 CU 2- #4 THWN-2 CU
PMAX 315 WATTS 1 - #6 CU GRD
VMPP 36.80 VDC IN 1" EMT CONDUIT MIN.
VOC 45.90 VDC
IMPP 8.63 ADC
ISC 9.16 ADC

2. TOTAL ARRAY OUTPUT
3 PARALLEL MODULES
PMAX 945 WATTS
VMPP 36.80 VDC
VOC 45.90 VDC
IMPP 25.89 ADC GROUNDING
ISC 27.48 ADC ELECTRODE

USER SUPPLIED
2 - #4 THWN-2 CU

UPG UB-GC2 AGM EcoLogic
6 VOLT BATTERIES
WIRED FOR 12VDC A r c h i t e c t s 51

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

power systems design diagrams

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

3.3 Pocket House Power Systems

Building solar PV blinds by glueing and welding together solar cells for the Hartnell College Pocket House EcoLogic

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual
A low-tech solar thermal panel built using pex tubing in a black enclosure with a transparent cover creating a ‘greenhouse effect’.

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual
Assembly of the Solar PV blinds and transportation of the pocket house using a crane attached to the beams with custom designed brackets.

EcoLogic 55
Architects

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

3.4 THIMBY Systems Design, UC Berkeley

Energy production PV production
& storage
We found that the PV production at our
Our design goal for THIMBY was to cre- location was the biggest constraint to
ate a comfortable space that could oper- meeting all of our demands. Rather than
ate entirely off-grid for an entire year if over-sizing the PV beyond the roof area,
needed. Through the design process we we chose to use energy more efficiently
realized that delivering enough energy to for our space and water heating needs.
meet all loads with absolute certainty over The plot below shows how much energy
every hour of the year would come at a our PV system would produce, on aver-
prohibitively high cost. We therefore re- age, over the previous 24 hours. Since we
laxed our goal to provide complete com- have battery storage, the last 24 hours of
fort for all but 5 days per year. On those production was not necessarily the best
days, we decided that occupants could metric of energy that would be avail-
sacrifice some comfort, shower elsewhere, able to serve loads. Instead, we calculated
or grid connect. what the average daily production would
be over the past 3 days, as shown in the
blue line below. Doing so highlights that

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

there are some, though limited, time periods duction, which means that THIMBY could serve ing (the biggest energy demands in the house).
with consistent low production. If we assume as a large net producer of electricity over the Thankfully, the plot below shows that the days
that total loads would be around 4 kWh per course of the year. of low kWh production from PV are not neces-
day, there would be ~600 hours when the past sarily the coldest. On this plot it’s not necessar-
production was insufficient to meet demand. Our main concern, given the scarce energy re- ily the days on the left that are worrisome.
We also find that there are many hours when source that we have, was that we would not
we would expect large surpluses in energy pro- have enough energy for space and water heat- 57

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

A home energy management system (HEMS) is is ongoing. Project groups in two courses this Cooling systems
under development to control THIMBY’s heat semester (Electrical Engineering and Comput-
pump, radiant floor, and energy recovery ven- er Science CEE 186: Designing Cyber Physical Passive systems:
tilator (ERV).The system will sense indoor and Systems and CEE 271: Sensors and Signal In- - Natural ventilation
outdoor air temperature, mean radiant temper- terpretation) are working with three THIMBY - Phase change materials: this material melts at
ature, (heated) floor temperature, refrigerator/ members to further develop the algorithm and 77oF (25oC).At this temperature a lot of energy
freezer temperature, PV generation rate, and incorporate sensing and actuating hardware to can be absorbed by the ceiling.This will help to
battery state of charge. Incorporating week- realize the goal of a full implementation. keep the house at more comfortable tempera-
ahead weather forecasts, we will employ Model ture during hot days. It acts like added thermal
Predictive Control (MPC) with a Dynamic HVAC strategy mass around the melting temperature.
Program (DP) to optimize thermal comfort giv- Heating and cooling strategies Active systems:
en constraints on forecast generation and out- - Ceiling fan: will allow to expand the thermal
door temperature, battery size and charge/dis- Passive systems: comfort zone through the effect of elevated
charge rate, fridge/freezer temperature, pump - Passive solar heat gains due to the orienta-
speeds, and hot water temperature. tions and window location Ventilation
A prototype of the control algorithm for this Active systems:
system, as well as a report and poster on the - The thermal storage is our source of heat for THIMBY includes 2 ventilation devices that will
preliminary results, is available on GitHub at both domestic hot water and heating ensure proper air change in the space:
h​ ttps://github.com/bolliger32/thimby-hems. - A hydronic radiant floor distributes heat in the - An energy recovery ventilator located in the
git.​The open-source software is licensed with main space. main space
Apache License 2.0 and was developed as the - The thermal storage is located nearby the - A bathroom fan to remove humidity from the
final project for Civil and Environmental Engi- bathroom and we plan on taking advantage of shower
neering (CEE) 295: Energy Systems and Con- the losses of the tank to heat that space.
trol. A full implementation of the algorithm will - Energy recovery ventilator that will allow the
not be available for the competition as work house to be well ventilated in winter while not
loosing too much heat for ventilation purpose

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

Electrical storage the electrical energy in the battery for higher A prototype of the control algorithm for this
value end uses. When PV production is low, it system, as well as a report and poster on the
We chose to install a 7kWh Tesla Powerwall bat- also means that we have some additional energy preliminary results, is available on GitHub at h​
tery, which should be sufficient for meeting our stored in the form of hot water which allows us ttps://github.com/bolliger32/thimby-hems.git.​The
electrical energy storage needs. The plot below to serve our space and water heating needs for open-source software is licensed with Apache Li-
shows what the battery state of charge would be several days longer than if we relied on an on cense 2.0 and was developed as the final project
over the course of the year, assuming a constant demand system. for Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)
load of 167 watts (4kWh per day). Since the 295: Energy Systems and Control. A full imple-
main worry is having enough energy for space Home energy management mentation of the algorithm will not be available
heating, we also plot, on the same axis, the hourly system for the competition as work is ongoing. Project
outside temperature. The areas of concern are groups in two courses this semester (Electrical
highlighted in red, when the battery runs out A home energy management system (HEMS) is Engineering and Computer Science CEE 186:
completely. There are about 100 hours when under development to control THIMBY’s heat Designing Cyber Physical Systems and CEE 271:
the battery would be out, but we see that these pump, radiant floor, and energy recovery ventila- Sensors and Signal Interpretation) are working
are not on very cold days. Multiple days of cloud tor (ERV).The system will sense indoor and out- with three THIMBY members to further devel-
cover also probably means that temperatures are door air temperature, mean radiant temperature, opphe algorithm and incorporate sensing and
not terribly cold. (heated) floor temperature, refrigerator/freezer actuating hardware to realize the goal of a full
temperature, PV generation rate, and bat- implementation.
Thermal storage tery state of charge. Incorporating week-ahead
weather forecasts, we will employ Model Predic- Saving water
Perhaps the most innovative part of our energy tive Control (MPC) with a Dynamic
system design is the use of thermal energy stor- Program (DP) to optimize thermal comfort given -The waterless compostable toilet eliminates one
age, in the form of a large (for a tiny house) hot constraints on forecast generation and outdoor of the largest in-home residential uses of potable
water tank. A 42 gallon hot water tank with wa- temperature, battery size and charge/discharge water: toilet flushing. Modern toilets can achieve
ter at 149F is equivalent to 10 kWh of additional rate, fridge/freezer temperature, pump speeds, efficiencies of 1.6 gpf (gallons per flush), but older
energy storage if the incoming water is 50F. We and hot water temperature. toilets can use up to 7 gpf. Our composting toilet
use this tank to produce hot water during hours has a urine-diverting toilet seat, so that urine can
of PV production, which means that we can save

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

be captured, stored, and reused for high qual- tration through layers of mulch, coarse sand/
ity agricultural fertilizer (see AmmPhoTek ref- soil, and finer sand.The plants growing out of
erence document in Plumbing Systems docu- the planter boxes promote aeration through
mentation). This creates a waste-to-resource their roots and provide locations for microbial
opportunity that reconnects city residents communities to form, functioning as contami-
with the food system by diverting urine from nant removal for the water passing through.
the waste stream and using the Nitrogen and Filtered greywater will then run through an
Phosphorous present in urine as a valuable in-line activated carbon filter, and into the fil-
on-farm input. tered greywater tank (20g) with a UV disin-
- The showerhead we are using is a low-flow, fection light mounted to the ceiling to elimi-
1.5 gpm High Sierra showerhead that mini- nate any remaining pathogens. This system,
mizes water use from showers compared to designed in consultation with professional and
average American shower flow rate of 2.1 academic biosystems engineers, will allow the
gpm. filtered greywater to be reused within the
4.3.2. Collecting and recycling water house for non-drinking uses. Water quality
All greywater from sinks and shower will be tests, forthcoming, will verify the safety of this
collected and piped to the 40 gallon greywa- filtered greywater for reuse in hand washing
ter tank, after passing through filter screens and showering, in addition to code-compliant
and a grease interceptor (in the case of the greywater reuse options of subsurface irriga-
kitchen sink). The greywater will then be tion and clothes washing. The mission behind
pumped to the “living wall” of 2 planter box- the greywater filtration and in-house reuse is
es, designed as a vertical-flow stratified bed to tailor water use to water quality, maintaining
wetland treatment system. Greywater will public health standards while demonstrating
infiltrate via unsaturated flow and receive fil- innovation in water-saving residential systems.

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3D Models showing integrated systems

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

THIMBY Plumbing Heat X Exp. Floor Loop
system schematic pump Block Tank
Fill line
(11/24/2016) Exp. Hot manifold
Tank (PEX)

Potable water tank Cold manifold Kitchen sink
(65 gal) (PEX)

External Hot water
supply water tank

(42 gal) Mixing Valve

Tank drain

Plant stage 1 Shower/sink

Plant stage 2 Alternate fill line

Grey water tank Grease, plaster trap filters
(20 gal)

Toilet Vent Activated Carbon Filtered grey water
Urine + tank
collection Feces
tank cooker UV filters (40 gal)

To Ag product To compost
recycling

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

Geometry
and orientations

The geometry is given by the trailer (8’ x 24’ rect- We can see that using a overhang on the South
angle). Due to space constraints, we are going to provides appropriate shading in Summer while
occupy that whole surface. Because THIMBY is it allows the Sun to enter in Winter and late Fall.
on wheels, it may be optimistic to define a unique For all days and hours simulated, this orientations
orientation for the house.Yet, as we are off-grid, offers a privileged orientations for inclined PV on
suggesting an orientation may help reaching a the roof.
little more solar energy that can be extremely
valuable.
As we are in the North hemisphere (Rich-
mond, 38oN, 122oW), having the main facade of
THIMBY face South has multiple advantages: it
will allow significant passive solar heat gains in
Winter due to the low Sun angle. With an ap-
propriate solar shading strategy (overhang), the
higher Summer can be blocked.
This orientation will also offer good opportuni-
ties for PV production (fundamental source of
energy).
The series of image below show the sun angles
for THIMBY located in the East Bay.
We chose to focus on the Equinox, Summer and
Winter solstice which represent the average and
more extreme days of the year. We conducted
our analysis for 9am, 12pm and 3pm.

63

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual Visualization of the energy building model developed with EnergyPlus.

Energy plus

We modeledTHIMBY using the simulation pro- Francisco, CA; 2) Seattle,WA; 3) Vancouver, BC, from an annual energy simulation for the 3 cities
gram ‘EnergyPlus’.We chose this simulation as it Canada, to represent a traveling THIMBY home of interest: San Francisco, Seattle andVancouver.
is one of the most capable building simulation along the upper west coast.We used the model They also call out the maximum and minimum
tools available today (able to account for dy- to analyze worst case scenarios in which we indoor temperatures that THIMBY would ex-
namic behaviors). chose the coldest and warmest day without a perience for the climate of a specific city with-
heating and cooling system to determine in- out the use of HVAC system.Then, we used the
The two images above represent the South- door temperatures THIMBY would experience thermal energy model to find out what is the
west (left) and Northeast (right) perspective in these situations. Then we used the energy peak capacity needed for a cooling and heating
of the energy model for THIMBY.We simulated model to determine the peak capacities need- system to maintain indoor temperatures within
the model in three different locations: 1) San ed for heating and cooling to maintain indoor 65 °F and 82 °F.This provides a rough estimate
64 temperature between 65 °F and 82 °F for the to size the THIMBY heating system accordingly.
coldest and warmest day.
The graphs show above the Indoor Air Temper-
ature (IAT) vs. Outdoor Air Temperature (IAT)

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

Indoor thermal comfort in Winter without an HVAC system Indoor thermal comfort in Summer without an HVAC system
- Plot for the coldest day in each of the cities’ weather file - Plot for the warmest day in each of the cities’ weather file

The time series plots show a snapshot of the attle and Vancouver. temperatures. Occupants will require increased
coldest day in each of the cities’ weather data air movement through a ceiling fan to maintain
used in the simulation along with the resulting The time series plots show a snapshot of the comfort in these extreme summer days.
indoor temperature of THIMBY without the warmest day in each of the cities’ weather data
use of a heating system.This gives us a glimpse used in the simulation along with the resulting 65
of a worst case scenario where the heating sys- indoor temperature ofTHIMBY without the use
tem is offline for unexpected reasons.THIMBY of a cooling system.This gives us a glimpse of a
performs well in terms of maintaining a com- worst case scenario for a summer day.THIMBY
fortable temperature indoors without active does not have a mechanical cooling system but
heating in a Bay Area climate but may require will benefit from phase change materials in-
active heating in more extreme climates like Se- stalled in the ceiling to dampened indoor air

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual are closer to 50% occupied hours above 250 3D Model showing Daylight Illuminance
lux visualized in yellow. The DA value is 93%. 3D Model showing Daylight Autonomy
Daylight Factor This means 93% of the house floor area re- 3D Model showing Useful Daylight Illuminance
ceives the recommended amount of daylight
Daylight Factor (DF) is a ratio of indoor illu- for at least 50% of the occupied time. These
minance to outdoor illuminance. Under 2% results support that reduced artificial lighting is
(visualized in blue) indicates artificial lighting appropriate for this tiny house.
required for those areas as that portion of the
floor space does not receive adequate daylight. Useful daylight illuminance
Between 2% and 5% (visualized in green/yel-
low) indicates that the space is adequately lit Useful daylight illuminance is similar to daylight
by daylight, but may need artificial lighting at autonomy, the annual occurrence of illumi-
times. Over 5% (visualized in red) has ample nance across a plane, only is it grouped into
daylight not requiring artificial lighting except ranges that are useful for the occupant’s visual
at dawn and dusk. As the goal in the design is comfort. The useful range is 300 lux to 2000
to reduce artificial lighting loads, this analysis is lux, with values below 300 lux not sufficient
useful in determining where and how much ar- for lighting needs and above 2000 lux source
tificial lighting is needed during daytime hours. of glare.The results show the entire floor area
The results show lighting is not needed for the of the house is in the useful range 100% of
majority of the house especially near the south occupied hours except for nearest the south
facade; lighting may be needed at times on the facade. Near the south window, illuminance is
west side; lighting is required in the bathroom predicted to be above 2000 lux which is above
and hallway. the recommended exposure.This analysis sup-
ports the reduction in artificial lighting.
Daylight Autonomy

Daylight Autonomy (DA) is an annual daylight-
ing metric visualizing the percentage of occu-
pied hours the floor area receives more an
appropriate illumination level, 250 lux.The DA
value represents the percentage of floor area
that exceeds the illumination level for at least
50% of the time. The results show all of the
floor area west of the hallway, visualized in or-
ange, to be illuminated above 250 lux for 100%
of occupied hours. The bathroom and hallway

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

This Tiny House biult by CSU Sacramento uses a TRACE power conversion center. It is concealed behind a wood framed screen.

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

4 Planning Communities

4.1 NEWFIELD, NY - Second Wind Cottage
4.2 OLYMPIA,WA - Quixote Village
4.3 MADISON,WI - OM Village
4.4 AUSTIN,TX - Community First Village

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In the United States the average size of new single family homes grew from 1,780 square feet in 1978 to 2,662 square feet in 2013,
despite a decrease in the size of the average family.The tiny house movement is an architectural and social movement that advocates
living modestly in small homes. In addition to costing less, small houses encourage less cluttered, simpler lifestyles while reducing eco-
logical impacts.

Tiny Housing Boom for the homeless

Dignity Village in Portland, OR, and Opportunity Village in Eugene, OR, once forget new ground in offering tiny house villages as tran-
sitional housing for homeless people rather than tents or dormitory style public housing. Now the concept has taken hold. Here are
the four most recent projects:

NewField, NY Olympia,WA Madison,WI Austin, TX

Second Wind Cottages Quixote Village OM Village Community First! Village
18 residents 29 residents (occupy Madison) 200 residents
10-15 residents
18 houses planned 30 houses planned 11 houses planned Unit number undecided
open Jan. 29.2014 open Dec. 21.2013 open Dec. 24.2013 open Dec. 2014
Cost estimate per unit: Cost estimate per unit: Cost estimate per unit:
$12,000 plus labor Cost estimate per person:
$87,500 $5,000 $30,000

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

4.1 Planning Communities

Newfield,NY

Second Wind Cottage

written by Jenna Flanagan for Innovation
Trail • Apr 20, 2016

(reprinted with permission)

Carmen Guidi is founder of Second Wind Village, located just a few miles The number of homeless New Yorkers much harder. However, one Ithaca-area
outside of Ithaca. The “tiny homes” provide shelter and independence for seems to be on the rise, so much so that a man is trying to make a big impact on the
homeless men. Credit Jenna Flanagan group of 51 millionaires recently petitioned homeless — one tiny house at a time.
the state government to raise their taxes Carmen Guidi is founder of Second Wind
http://innovationtrail.org/ permanently from 7.65 percent to nearly Village, nestled in Newfield, just a few miles
post/tiny-houses-have-big- 10 percent to “invest in pathways out of outside of Ithaca. The collection of nine
poverty up the economic ladder for fellow “tiny houses” built on his property wasn’t
impact-homeless citizens.” inspired by the attention such structures
Most of the funds and focus on homeless- have been getting lately.
(Photo by Gay Huddle / Corre- ness is in New York City, where more than Rather, Guidi said he was divinely inspired
spondent photo) 100,000 people are without permanent after good will trips to Honduras and Haiti.
shelter. But what if you find yourself home- He also considered how he would want to
less in upstate New York? Lack of funds live if he were homeless.
and resources can make access to services

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“I knew nothing about a tiny home any- en and children at a separate location. Second Wind cottages is a cluster of small (16 X 20) houses
thing. Once we started putting together While he’s not a professional social worker, intended for homeless men.The houses have been constructed
these ‘tiny houses,’ I know I would like to Guidi has been reaching out to and build- on land provided by Guidi’s Collision in Newfield, Tompkins
live that way if I was that, and that’s why ing relationships with Ithaca’s homeless for County. Dec. 3, 2014
these men do so well here.” years. David Lassman | [email protected]
The auto body repair tech created the “A lot of the times when people are put
cottage village as a nonprofit, and private into the program-type models, they feel EcoLogic
donations and volunteers help build each like a project. Here, the men, they don’t
$15,000 home. feel like a project.” A r c h i t e c t s 71
Guidi said the cottages meet a crucial need Just off Ithaca’s main commercial boulevard,
for the homeless. behind a popular multinational discount
“They give the men a level of dignity that department store, is a field overgrown
they can’t get anywhere else,” he said. with underbrush and a thicket of trees. It’s
“Even though they don’t own the houses, become an unofficial campground.
they still take an ownership, they take pride Most people might not notice it at all, but
around the surroundings. Here’s the thing, to the homeless of Ithaca and Tompkins
they want to stay in community, yet they County, it is well-known as “The Jungle.”
want to have their own time, too, in their The Jungle may look desolate and bleak,
own space.” but that’s not where all of the homeless in
The cottages are like autonomous studio Ithaca find themselves.
apartments, allowing the residents to re- Nels Bohn, director of Ithaca’s Urban Re-
gain a sense of normalcy with their own newal Agency, said the city successfully
kitchen, bathroom and living space. Some houses most of their homeless. The “un-
even keep pets in their home. sheltered” population, including those who
Second Wind serves only homeless men, live in The Jungle, is about 15 to 20 people.
although Guidi hopes to expand the proj- “I think we pretty well know most of our
ect to include individual housing for wom- homeless persons by first name and un-

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

Second Wind Cottages in Newfield, NY provides cottages of
about 320 square feet. (Second Wind Cottages)
Samantha Craggs, CBC News

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

derstand their needs a little bit better because go to build 100,000 units of affordable housing There is no timeline on how long each resident
we have the advantage of being so small,” Bohn across the state; the other half will be used to can stay. So far, the longest have been there
said. “The disadvantage is once we fill up our build out the state’s supportive services and three years, a triumph for some of the residents.
emergency shelter or Magnolia House project, 20,000 more beds to accompany state services.
we don’t have any more room.There’s just lim- The city of Ithaca has helped Guidi attain rental
ited capacity.” As for the Second Wind Cottages, Guidi is al- funds for the men, but even as they expand,
ready working on adding nine more cottages Second Wind Cottages has a waiting list of al-
As a smaller city, Ithaca has about 40 emergency with a main house that can accommodate some most 30 people.
shelters, one new shelter called Magnolia Proj- of the state services that are needed.
ect, for women and children, and about 100 photos by © John Light/BillMoyers.com
permanent supportive housing units.
Bohn said the city is supportive of Guidi’s Sec-
ond Wind project but noted that addressing the
issue means more than just a roof over their
heads and food on the table.

Both men agree that for anyone to begin to
address homelessness in a metropolis like New
York City or in smaller upstate cities like Ithaca,
it first has to begin with affordable housing for
ever yone.

According to the Office of Temporary and Dis-
ability Assistance, which offers housing and sup-
port services, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is propos-
ing a five-year, $20 billion investment. Half will

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

4.2 Planning Communities

Olympia, WA

Quixote Village

written by Erika Lundahl for yesmagazine
• Feb 20, 2014

(reprinted with permission)

“The typical development for extremely that made it illegal to sit, lie down, or sell

low-income housing is trending up toward things within six feet of downtown build-

$200,000 per unit.That’s a lot of bills,” says ings. When police evicted the campers

Residents moving in to Quixote Village in Olympia,Wash. Jill Severn, a board member at Panza, a eight days after the protest began, the
(WNV/Quixote Village) https://wagingnonviolence.org nonprofit organization that sponsors an- Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congrega-

other tiny-house project called Quixote tion stepped in to help, offering tempo-

Village. (The organization’s name is a play rary refuge on their land.

http://www.yesmagazine. on Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s sidekick For five years, the camp’s location rotated,
org/new-economy/tiny- in Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel.) moving and reassembling every 90 days
house-villages-for-the- at one of several different local churches.
homeless-an-affordable- Quixote Village opened in Olympia, Panza was formed by a corps of volun-
Wash., right before Christmas. But it be-
solution-catches-on

gan in February 2007 as “Camp Quixote,” teers from the faith communities assisting

a protest held in a city-owned parking lot. the camp, and the organization worked

photos by Jeremy Bittermann for A group of homeless people assembled with the city council to secure and rezone
The New York Times there to oppose an Olympia ordinance a parcel of county-owned industrial land

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

near a community college and create a per- Today, the 30 structures that make up Quix-
manent site for the village. In December of ote Village are home to 29 disabled adults,
2013, the residents of Quixote Village settled almost all of whom qualify as “chronically
into their new homes there. homeless,” by the standards of the U.S. De-
partment of Housing and Urban Develop-
Quixote Village has fostered a positive rela- ment.
tionship between its residents and local gov-
ernment and police, says Severn. Despite this, The residents also have a common space
the project was held up in court for a year by with shared showers, a laundry, garden space,
a local organization of businesses and land- and a kitchen. By sharing these amenities, the
owners called the Industrial Zoning Preser- community was able to increase the afford-
vation Association, which cited concerns over ability of the project and design a neighbor-
the potential impact on local businesses in a hood they believed would fit their needs and
nearby industrial park. make them more self-sufficient.

Panza used the time to fundraise and build The shared space has also helped them cre-
an outreach campaign to win over the public. ate a supportive community. The residents,
They had the support of legions of volun- who are self-governed, have developed a
teers, mostly from local churches, who had rulebook that prohibits illegal drugs and al-
staffed the camp. cohol on the grounds and requires that each
member put in a certain number of service
“Having hundreds of [residents] get to know hours per week. They meet twice a week in
people that were homeless made a huge dif- the evenings
ference in the success of getting this off the
ground,” says Severn. http://quixotevillage.com/photo-gallery/

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Photography by Leah Nash for BuzzFeed

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

to discuss problems or concerns and to Architects and KMB Design Groups, also Erika Lundahl wrote this article for YES! Magazine,
share a common meal that they take turns contributed design services pro bono, and a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses
cooking. the Thurston County Commission is leas- powerful ideas and practical actions. Erika is a free-
ing the land to Quixote for $1 per year.
The main complaint right now, says Raul lance writer living in Seattle
Salazar, the village’s program manager and
only full-time staff member, is that the post-
al service still hasn’t started delivering mail.

The cost of units at Quixote Village is sig- An architect’s rendering of Quixote Village in Olympia,Wash.
nificantly higher than at Second Wind— Illustration courtesy Krista Schooley An artist rendition of what
about $88,000 per unit—but that’s still
less than half the cost of the average pub- a tiny home community for the homeless could look like.
lic housing project, according to Nan Ro-
man, president and CEO of the National
Alliance to End Homelessness. Quixote
has had access to state funding and lo-
cal community grants, as well as private
funding from individuals, businesses, and
two Native American tribes. The project
also received a Community Development
Block Grant for $604,000 from the State
of Washington Department of Commerce
and a $1.5-million grant from the Washing-
ton State Legislature.
Two architecture and design firms, MSGS

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

4.3 Planning Communities

Madison, WI

OM Village
(Occupy Madison)

written by Erika Lundahl for yesmagazine
• Feb 20, 2014

(reprinted with permission)

http://www.yesmagazine. Many other tiny-house projects are just of the Occupy Wall Street movement, a
org/new-economy/tiny- beginning to get of the ground, raise series of protests at the Wisconsin State
house-villages-for-the- money, find land, and gain approval from Capitol—focused on the state’s contro-
homeless-an-affordable- local officials and members of the public. versial anti-collective-bargaining bill—
But the unorthodox nature of the small prompted additional legislation that pro-
solution-catches-on houses presents unique legal zoning limi- hibited groups from gathering without a
tations and barriers that limit where tiny permit. When the protests joined forces
photos by https://www.facebook.com/OMBuild/photos/ houses can be stationed. with Occupy in the fall of 2011, this cre-
ated a unique opportunity for the voices
EcoLogic In Madison, Wisc., Occupy Madison has of the many homeless people in Madison
been facing this very challenge, as the to be heard.
78 A r c h i t e c t s group forged ahead with plans for a tiny “There were some great moments
house village. throughout the Occupy movement
In the spring of 2011, prior to the launch where a lot of dialogue was going on be-

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

tween the people without homes and the But the question of where the houses can http://tinyhousefor.us/news/some-cities-install-homeless-
people with homes,” says Allen Barkoff, one legally be located is still up in the air. Volun- spikes-others-build-tiny-housing/
of the board members of Occupy Madison, teers are now building houses for six peo-
Inc., a nonprofit formed in December 2012 ple. Because of a recent ordinance change, photos by © OM Build
to address the need for legal places where the houses are allowed to sit on church Erika Lundahl wrote this article for YES! Magazine,
homeless people in Madison could congre- property in groups of three. City regula- a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses
gate and stay safe. The organization first tions also permit them to be placed on the powerful ideas and practical actions. Erika is a free-
looked into buying an apartment building side of the road, as long as they are relo-
or a shared house for the homeless but cated every 48 hours. But Madison’s snowy lance writer living in Seattle
ultimately settled on tiny houses as the winter makes the houses hard to move, ex-
most flexible and economical way to cre- plains Barkoff. EcoLogic
ate homes for people.
Now Occupy Madison, Inc., is in the middle A r c h i t e c t s 79
In this case, the cost of building the tiny of a lengthy process to purchase a parcel of
homes comes to around $5,000 each, land on the east side of the city to accommo-
funded by private donations and an online date 11 houses, along with a central building
crowd-funding campaign. The nonprofit (a converted gas station) that can serve as
also plans to apply for some city grants. a workshop for making more homes. This
Each home will come with a propane spring, they will continue to hold neighbor-
heater, a composting toilet, and an 80-watt hood meetings about the project, talk with
solar panel array—and will be about 98 police, and work with the Madison Planning
square feet in size, 99 if you include the and Development Department—and, even-
porch. (The volunteers enjoy the joke:“We tually, the city council—to negotiate zoning
are the 99 square feet!”) issues for the village.

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

https://www.generosity.com/community-fundraising/om-village-
tiny-homes-for-people-without-homes

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Green Design Studio, Edward Kuharski, Architect http://tinyhousefor.us/news/some-cities-install-homeless-
spikes-others-build-tiny-housing/

http://publicinterestdesign.blogspot.com/2015/01/tiny-hous-
es-by-and-for-homeless-in_14.html

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

4.4 Planning Communities

Austin,TX

Community First! Village

written by Kelly McCartney for yesmagazine
• Dec 16, 2013

(reprinted with permission)

photos by Joy Diaz for KUT News In Austin,Texas, a project to offer affordable and Fishes, notes that the price of not
housing to some 200 chronically homeless housing these folks costs taxpayers about
http://www.yesmagazine. citizens is on the move. Community First! $10 million a year, not to mention the
org/new-economy/tiny- Village, which has been in the planning stag- emotional and psychological tolls on the
house-villages-for-the- es for nearly 10 years, is set to soon break homeless themselves.
homeless-an-affordable- ground on a 27-acre property sprinkled
with tiny houses, mobile homes, teepees, Graham says that, for the most part, local
solution-catches-on refurbished RVs, a three-acre community residents seem to be in favor of the proj-
garden, a chapel, a medical facility, a work- ect.“We haven’t converted everybody,” he
photo by (Credit: Mobile Loaves & Fishes) shop, a bed and breakfast, and an Alamo says,“but when people come out here they
Drafthouse outdoor movie theater. go, ‘Oh!’They see a chapel, they see medi-
EcoLogic Supporter Alan Graham, of Mobile Loaves cal and vocational services on site, and they

82 A r c h i t e c t s

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual Map Community first village _ http://mlf.org/community-first/

learn that residents will not live there for free.
They’ll pay a monthly rent.”
Graham has been working with the home-
less in his community for more than 14 years
and cites broken families as the leading cause
of homelessness. With Mobile Loaves and
Fishes, Graham has not only helped feed the
homeless all these years, but he has helped
transition them into homes and jobs as well.

And he has given them hope. Graham views
Community First! as the next step in that
mission and the next step toward solving
homelessness in the U.S.

As the local NPR station (KUT) reports,
Alamo Drafthouse’s founder Tim League is
another outspoken cheerleader for Commu-
nity First! Village. In fact, he calls it “the very
first ‘Yes, in my backyard’ project.”

The Topfer Health Resource Center is now serving residents of the Community First Village. Photo courtesy

of Mobile Loaves & Fishes EcoLogic

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

image by www.nbcnews.com

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

Photo courtesy of Weird Homes Tour Learn more at http://mlf.org/community-first/. Source/Photo:
Mobile Loaves and Fishes. All Rights reserved.

Community First! – photo by Roldolfo Gonzalez Image by: Why Hunger Blog

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

5 Glossary of Portable Architecture
This chapter references some iconic ‘tiny house’ projects relevant to anyone studying the historical context of small dwleeings,
affordable housing and evolutions of the build environment

5.1 Dymaxion House

by Buckminster Fuller
“Dare to be naïve.”

Conceived and designed in the late 1920’s but not actually built until 1945,
the Dymaxion House was Fuller’s solution to the need for a mass-pro-
duced, affordable, easily transportable and environmentally efficient house.

5.2 Ideal City

Super Studio
“We’ll listen to our hearts and our breathing.
We’ll watch ourselves living.”

Half a century ago, a group of 20-something architecture students from
Florence decided to assume the small task of conceiving an alternative
model for life on earth.

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

5.3 The Mind Expanding program
Haus Rucker & Co
1968

Haus-Rucker-Co aspired to extend people’s psycho-physical experiences
through art and architecture.

5.4 The Walking City
by Ron Herron & Archigram 1963
The walking city was neofuturistic, anti-heroic and pro-consumerist, draw-
ing inspiration from technology in order to create a new reality that was
solely expressed through hypothetical projects.

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

Glossary of Portable Architecture

5.5 Dwelling for aTokyo Nomad Woman
Toyo Ito

1985 and 1989

Toyo Ito’s project is based on a scenario where most of the domestic
functions are dissolved in the metropolis while the living unit becomes a
reduced entity providing only minimal shelter and the access to the infor-
mational network.

5.6 Emergency Shelter
by Shigeru Ban

Pritzker Laureate Shigeru Ban may be as well known for his innovative use
of materials as for his compassionate approach to design.This structure is
built for emergeny shelter out of cardboard and plastic crates.

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Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual

Glossary of Portable Architecture

5.6 Diogene by Renzo Piano

Renzo Piano, known for big things like the Pompidou Centre in Paris and
the Shard in London, tries his hand at tiny with Diogene, which Domus
calls “a technically perfect and aesthetically attractive refuge, testing the
potential of the minimalist house.”

EcoLogic 89
Architects

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual EcoLogic Architects was
founded in 2005 by Thomas
Company Profile : EcoLogic Architects Rettenwender, Constantine
Papachristopolous and Niklas
The EcoLogic Architects is an architectural and ecological design ‘lab’ Spitz.
providing state of the art and conscientious architectural design services.
Our goal is to create high performance architecture with a new age of
contemporary design tools.With our advanced techniques we design in
harmony with nature.

Based in Monterey, California, with satellite offices in Los Angeles, USA and Thomas holds a Bachelor
Amaliada, Greece we can serve local as well as international clients region- of Arts from Trinity College,
ally and around the globe. Our work spans several continents and a very Dublin, Ireland in Philosophy
diverse palette of functions.We resolve spaces from mega urban scale to and Mathematics. He also
tiny small and compact. Our design seeks to harmonize functional beauty, holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
energy efficiency, and ecological integrity for maximum human comfort. A
celebration of space and form for human enjoyment.. He also holds a Magister Architecture (M.Arch.) from the University of
Applied Arts,Vienna, Austria. During his studies he was awarded two schol-
We specialize in : arships to attend Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCIArc)
• Innovative high-performance architectural design in Los Angeles, California. He has studied with internationally renowned
• Integration of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures architects Zaha Hadid,Wolf D. Prix, Lebbeus Woods, Hans Hollein, Laurids
• Enhancing on-site ecosystem services Ortner, Karl Chu, Eric Owen Moss and Greg Lynn.
• Sustainable Masterplanning
• Environmental urban design After studying in Europe,Thomas apprenticed with Big Sur Architect Mick-
ey Muennig from 2003-06. He became the Lead Architect at Rana Creek
Key Awards and Collaborations include Living Architecture in 2007. In 2008 he received his Architects License
• 1st Prize 2008 Beijing Olympics World Park with Jourdan & Mueller, from the California Architects Board. He is also LEED accredited profes-
PAS Frankfurt sional. Since starting EDL he has practiced Architecture primarily in Central
• 1st Prize 2016 Mock Firm International Student Design Com- California but also in a diversity of settings like Panama, Switzerland, Dubai,
petition with Hartnell Engineering and Architecture Research Team and Ulan Batar, Mongolia.
(HEART)
• Monterey Bay Shores Ecoresort, with Rana Creek Habitat Restora- Since 2009 he has taught Green Building Design courses at Monterey Pen-
tion, Carmel Valley and BSA Architects. insula College and UC Santa Cruz. He has also taught at Hartnell College,
• Gaia Hotel Napa Valley, with Mickey Muennig - First LEED Gold Rancho Cielo Construction Academy, Middleberry College, and San Jose
Hotel City College. He has taught a diverse list of courses including “Principles of
• “Principles of Green Building Design” publication funded by Bay Green Building Design”,“Ecologic Urban Design” and “Smart Home Auto-
Area Career Pathway Alliance mation”. Thomas is currently Lecturer at UC Santa Cruz. teaching the Tiny
House Design Lab.
EcoLogic

90 A r c h i t e c t s

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual Gaia Hotel, Napa Valley CA
Architectural Design & Project Management
EcoLogic Design Lab : Company Profile New Construction
with Mickey Muennig, Architect
2008 Beijing Olympic World Park
1st Prize & $60k Award Monterey Bay Shores Eco-Resort
Location: Beijing, China Location: Monterey, California
with PAS Jourdan & Mueller, Frankfurt with Rana Creek, BSA Architects

Redwood Gateway Interpretive Center Point Molate Casino, San Francisco Bay,
Humboldt County, California Guidiville Tribe of Pomo Indians
with Save the Redwoods League with Rana Creek Habitat Restoration
and Prof. Greg Lynn
EcoLogic
Solar - Arc, Dubai
Landmark Green Technology Tower A r c h i t e c t s 91
International Design Competition Entry
with Hyphae Design Lab, Oakland

Zero Net Energy Tiny House Manual 92

EcoLogic
Architects