Small House Movement

The Small House Movement, also called the Tiny House Movement (English " movement for tiny houses " ), is a social movement in America, who propagated the life in small houses. The movement also finds its expression in architecture, are by increasingly planned and implemented retail and mini houses, which are defined by Tiny Houses ( mini houses) through a living space to about 600 square feet ( 55 m²) and Small Houses ( small houses) one for American standards small living space up to about 1200 square feet ( approx. 112 m²) have.

Background

Although demographically seen the number of people living together in a household in many industrialized nations generally decreased, increased the size of the newly constructed single-family homes in some of these countries. In the U.S., for example, the average living space of detached houses of 165 m² rose in 1978 to 230.3 m² in 2007. Reasons were of increasing material wealth, including space required for accumulated goods, as well as the prestige. As with a car was also at the home, the size as an expression of personal success. However Oversized houses have the disadvantage that they are expensive. Not only in terms of construction costs, but also in terms of running costs, taxes, heating costs, maintenance and repair costs. Not least because of this fact, the Small House Movement has experienced since the financial crisis from 2007, again receiving increased attention. Mini houses are affordable to purchase and maintenance, and on top of that most eco-friendly. You score with design instead of size, as well as with advanced, environmentally friendly equipment and technology. Mini houses have lost their trailer or shed character and nowadays consist mostly of high-quality building materials. They are now available in a variety of styles. The mini houses some renowned designers make this clear.

The Small House Movement promoted the downsizing, the downsizing, not only for the benefit of cost reduction, but also in favor of a sustainable, environmentally friendly living. The intended Small ( or Tiny ) Living consists of small houses occupancy ( typically mini houses a living area of ​​max. 50m ²), a simplification of life, environmental awareness, self-sufficiency, healthy financial plans and social awareness.

The beginning of the counter-movement to " Bigger is better " is Sarah Susanka, a person living in the United States originating from England architect, attributed to the book The Not So Big House 1997 - A Blueprint For the Way We Really Live published. With the increasing environmental awareness is also the Small House Movement spread increasingly to other countries from: In Tokyo, where space is precious, the architect Takaharu Tezuka the House to Catch the Sky (English " The house that captures the sky "), a 42.5 m² small house for four people; in Barcelona presented the Spanish architect Eva Prats and Ricardo Flores, the 28 m² small Casa en una Maleta ( Spanish " house in the trunk " ) before; after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina developed Marianne Cusato, an American designer, as an alternative to FEMA trailers ( emergency shelter, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides the hurricane victims available ) Katrina Cottages 28.6 sqm.

As the voice of the Small House Movement, the Small House Society is understood, an association founded in 2002, which sees its role in the promotion of research, development and use of smaller living spaces, which are intended to promote sustainable living for individuals, families and communities around the world. The founding members are Jay Shafer, Shay Salomon, Nigel Valdez and Gregory Johnson. Currently, the association has approximately 1,800 members, including some well-known architects and designers.

Sustainability

The advantages of mini houses go beyond economic considerations also: Miniature Houses require a special way of life and are especially interesting for people who lead a less cluttered, simpler life and want to reduce their ecological footprint. " To live in a small house, helping a while to figure out what you really need to be happy and to divest itself of the superfluous " said Jay Shafer, co-founder of the Small House Society, author of " The Small House Book" and owner of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. Many mini houses are now designed to be a self-sufficient life is possible with solar panels, rainwater harvesting system and humus toilets. Wall construction and insulation are usually made of natural materials such as wood, straw, cork, clay, which provide much better insulation than concrete, brick or limestone. Nevertheless, awakened a look at the energy certificate of small houses the impression of lower energy efficiency, because heat is lost through the outer surface: When calculating the energy index lost heat is distributed to the living space. So a good energy index can be achieved with lots of living space and a minimum outer surface. This regard are therefore optimally - just assuming walls - Houses in cube form. Mini houses with an unfavorable ratio of outer to floor space, eg with a high spire cut by calculation according poorly. In Germany and the legislator has meets this requirement by " small buildings " and monuments are exempt from the disclosure requirements (§ 16 para 4 Energy Saving Ordinance ).

Regarding the energy consumption of mini houses but falls a very different point (positive) significant: The absolute energy consumption is much lower with mini houses than conventional single-family homes with larger living space. Alone by the energy savings during construction. With the construction of modern, conventional living space creates a production energy expenditure (HEA ) of about 1.200 kWh / m². Even with the savings when building a mini house per square meter manufacturing energy can heat this long for a whole year. Thus could be with the energy needed for the construction of a 100 m² family house a mini - house heat for 100 years. Ironically, however, may be interesting as a second home or holiday home Minhäuser, so that the increased construction of mini houses could also lead to an increased development of land, which would contradict the ecological thought.

Tiny- House trend in Germany

Also in Germany, a similar trend is emerging. The economic situation, a higher occupational mobility and the growing number of people living alone could the mini houses there as well to achieve a breakthrough. Among the interested parties can be very roughly three groups make up: Singles, which without being bound to a high credit, have a roof over their head and want to make their own living room, the mini house so want to use as primary residence. Furthermore, people who require extra space to their existing home, be it an office, studio or guest house, and want to make instead of a costly cultivation a " Trabant house " on the property, which, if no longer a need can be sold again. And finally, people who want to use the mini house as a holiday home.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the share makes of single-person households in Germany already accounted for almost 40 percent. In cities like Berlin or Hamburg even every second household is a single household. And the trend is rising. In Germany are likely to prevail as a principal residence for a single person, especially the modular homes for use. This type of house allows for maximum flexibility: Modules can be grown or increased in retrospect, when out of the single- family household. Module houses can also be resold if required or move. A setting in the construction on the size, location and years of deferred payment as in earlier times is no longer valid.

A particularly small mini house in Germany made ​​headlines in 2005, is the micro compact home (m- ch). The Bavarian capital Munich sought desperately for a solution to accommodate students in the city, for which existed in the urban housing market no offers. Professor of architecture Richard Horden, who teaches at the Technical University of Munich, designed with students the blueprints for the micro compact home. The concept derives from an earlier idea Horden, the i -home. The living cube with an edge length of about three meters, offers a bed, a sitting area with a table, a toilet area and a kitchenette. Seven such tiny creatures were set up under the name O2 Village, on a ground of students Freimann and students housed there temporarily.