Sustainable Design for Recreational Homes
Travel Trailer Combines Energy Efficiency with Elements of House
Feb 27, 2009
Sustain.ca's miniHome trailer design starts from the premise that diminishing a building's negative effects on the environment means reducing its overall square area. The smallest miniHome is just 270 square feet. Add on solar-powered electricity and other green technologies, and this sustainable travel trailer home outperforms most other dwellings and RVs.
Canadian architectural firm Sustain.ca in partnership with Altius Architecture have combined expertise to design and manufacture the miniHome, which is classed as a travel trailer and park model trailer. Units are being used in North America as semi-permanent homes like cottages and ski chalets in rural or unserviced areas. The designers believe the miniHome could be the future of sustainable housing and urban infill.
Elements of House in a Small Package
The designers of the miniHome started with an idea for a small home that would include the essential elements of house without the large footprint characteristic of most single-family dwellings. Smart design, distilled from ten years of building experience, and research into conceptual floor plans and digital modelling, has produced a template for living that is much smaller than a conventional suburban home.
Units are well-organized; there is no wasted circulation space. Each of the five models invokes a sense of spaciousness by making use of features like fold-up beds, desks, tables and overhead cabinets. The units are bright and have 13 foot high ceilings. In spite of its small size, the miniHome’s designers promise occupants the feeling of being in a space two and half times as large.
Each miniHome is mounted on a permanent steel frame with three axles. Although mounted on wheels, it is not designed for recreational travel; it is meant to be kept on a site for some time. The miniHome does not require a permanent foundation, but some jurisdictions mandate a foundation such as concrete posts or concrete pad.
Sustainable Design Features
Every miniHome, regardless of size, is well insulated for use in a Canadian winter. The units include super-efficient appliances and lighting systems. By reducing energy loads, miniHomes like the SOLO and DUO can be powered by a couple of solar panels.
Other features of this trailer home include:
- Guidelines for the miniHome’s passive solar orientation to ensure optimal performance
- Optional 400 Watt wind turbine to support more intense energy usage like washer and dryer
- Uses 1/10 of the resources and materials of a conventional site-built house
- Green materials: no off-gassing, no toxic chemicals, and all woods are from certified sustainable sources
Manufacturing efficiencies associated with the miniHome’s production bring superior building envelope performance. They also reduce the embodied energy of the finished home.
Infill Housing
The target market for the original miniHome was someone buying a property in a remote area, where off grid home performance is essential, or people needing something for seasonal or year-round occasional use. Most Canadian municipal zoning regulations permit use of the miniHome as a granny flat or secondary dwelling on an urban lot.
Sustain.ca is challenging cities to allow the miniHome’s installation in urban areas as a permanent home and source of affordable housing. At a maximum of 12 feet wide, it takes up less space than a conventional home, and with a price tag of $109,000 USD for the 12x33 or SE models, it is more affordable than site-built housing.
Call it an RV, secondary home or guest cabin, the miniHome represents a vernacular dwelling type not previously considered as “architectural”. The miniHome’s sustainable performance, unique design and versatility make it worthy of the epithet.
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