Habitat
A tiny home underneath the Gardener Expressway
Habitat: Tiny Home
CLASS: Environmental Design: Personal Space
ADVISOR: Frances Hahn
WORK TIME: 12 weeks
PROGRAMS: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD, Revit
THEMES: Conceptual, Model-making
Purpose
The Habitat Project focuses on a compact living space that is sustainable and functional. The project site is underneath the Gardener Expressway along Spadina Ave. and Lakeshore Blvd. W. in Toronto, Ontario. The goal is to design a home that I would construct by myself and live in for a year and is off the grid.
I observed the high volume environment of the intersection under the Gardner Expressway and noticed its loud and busy life that inspired my concept of separating the public and private.
Through the use of sketches and collages, I explored different methods in separating private and public spaces.
Construction and Materials
The load-bearing construction made of light wood framing, consisting of spruce-pine-fir lumber. Raw reclaimed barn boards and timber would be used for the walls and flooring. This was chosen for its cost-efficiency, labour of two for construction, and low impact to the site.
The uses of reclaimed woods emphasize the character and warmth throughout the tiny home. The importance of using reclaimed materials highlights sustainable construction methods, supporting locally sourced materials, and urban logging.
Conceptual model — Interior
Materials: Balsa wood, plywood, reclaimed metal
Conceptual model — Exterior
Ground Plan
Second Floor Plan
Section 1
East Elevation
Section 2
South Elevation