Tag Archives: Tiny Home Designs

These floating tiny homes designs are the eco-friendly solution our planet needs!

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Global warming is no longer a myth lurking in the background – it is our reality and its effects are being felt across the world, the latest being the series of heatwaves hitting the USA and Canada as we speak. Tiny homes are the trend in many ways – be it from reducing the amount of space needed, from a population and overflowing cities point-of-view to increasing portability of the living space. The increase in work from home culture has re-connected us with our wanderlust and proved that the quality of work is not dependent on our office space. The tiny homes shown here range from futuristic designs to innovative, sustainable solutions that float to keep you safe – be it pollution or rising sea levels!





The idea of the Ocean Community vessel is to extend a city’s coastline. By existing not more than 800 meters from the coast of a city, the dwellers of the Ocean Community can easily make their way to the city to access facilities and enjoy a normal city life before heading back to their sea-based home. “The creation of these new structures will serve as fully functional living spaces connected with existing land infrastructure so that new ocean communities become a natural extension of coastal cities,” says Morsztyn, designer of the Ocean Community concept.

The Z-Triton Electric Houseboat was created to serve as an alternative to the traditional camper. It is comfortable enough to house two adults for a weekend getaway, and the choice of land or water is up to the travelers. The amphibious nature of the modern camper fits into the flexible lifestyle we lead today, especially since air travel is not on the cards anytime soon. It is opening up a lot of avenues for local trips in less popular/offbeat locations. The durable houseboat measures 3.6 meters in length, 1.2 meters in width, and 1.55 meters.





Anthénea is a UFO-shaped water suite made in France by veteran designers, engineers, and naval architects, whose vision was to create a nomadic vessel for eco-conscious tourists. It was a project born from the dreams of Jean-Michel Ducancelle, a naval architect, who was inspired by James Bond’s floating pod in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977). The 50 sqm pod has three living spaces – a living area, a sleeping zone, and a lounge area that features a 360° solarium on its roof for 12 people. All interior elements are entirely made from sustainable materials. Anthénea adapts to a wide temperature range (-30°C to +40°C), and its stabilizing ballasting keeps the seasickness at bay! Coastlines are often overburdened with tourism, and Anthénea offers an ecological way to lighten that load while promoting sustainable travel, which is our ultimate future.

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This Eco-Floating Hotel in Qatar is raising the bar for eco-friendly travel and tourism! Powered by wind + solar energy, it also features tidal sustainability mechanisms and a revolving restaurant to give you ALL the best views. Designed by Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio (HAADS), the hotel would span over 35,000 sq m (376,000 sq ft) and house 152 rooms. The giant glass donut-shaped structure has a lush green cover integrated into its exterior and a mesmerizing indoor waterfall with a huge vortex-like glass roof. Sustainability is at the core of this project, and all of the design details are centered around it. For example, the vortex shape of the roof will actually be used to collect rainwater for irrigation and more, while solar panels + wind turbines will provide clean energy.





According to NASA, Maldives is arguable the lowest-lying country with an average elevation of just 3.3 feet above sea level, which means the island republic will soon have to rely on sustainable housing alternatives. The archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean has 1190 islands, and 1000 would be submerged at the current rate of sea-level rise. This project is called Maldives Floating City (MFC) and will be constructed just minutes away from Male, the capital. The team comes from a Netherlands-based studio Dutch Docklands, a world-renowned leader in floating infrastructure. MFC’s shape will be series of honeycomb-like hexagonal maze rows inspired by the Brain coral. It will feature thousands of waterfront residences floating along a flexible, functional grid across a 200-hectare lagoon. The system of floating rows is anchored to a ring of islands that form the base and the stabilizing breaker wall for all the structures – this was the primary reason for placing MFC in an ideally suited small lagoon.

This two-story home crafted from shipping container materials and Sapele wood is designed to rise and fall with the natural changes in sea level as we battle climate change. Kairu is a variation of the Japanese word for frog which is an homage to the water-based home. The area is still recovering from Hurricane Sandy even after a decade and could use innovative reconstruction. That is where Kairu House comes in as an affordable, sustainable, and resilient home. It will become the primary residence for the founder and principal architect of Rekstur and his family. The main building is made of two 40-feet-tall shipping containers. The repurposed containers are cut in half (diagonally) and stacked on top to make separate floors. The two steel sectional barges were welded together to create a single platform for the house docked at a local marina.

Forget waterfront offices, what about an office literally on the water? Think of Enclaves as office meets lazy river (productivity levels not included with the structure). Remote work and flexible lifestyle have seen a boom thanks to the pandemic, which has led to many innovative designs like this floating office pod which is a low-impact concept offering the best of views with maximum privacy for focus. Designer Agnieszka Białek who made this zen office pod, is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, Poland, which explains the picturesque theme. Białek was inspired by her usual pandemic strolls (which were the highlight of all our lives) along the Vistula River and thought of how cool it would be to have floating co-working spaces that would have no footprint on the land. You will have to use a kayak to get to the pod, effectively eliminating any disturbance people. The pods will be designed to be active day or night and can be rented by the hour to host meetings, change the scenery or just get into a deep focus zone!

Designed by Dutch architect Marlies Rohmer, Waterbuurt sets the stage as a water-based solution for Holland’s modern housing needs. The Netherlands actually means, ‘the low-lying country,’ indicating the country’s close proximity to water. In fact, much of the country’s land is either below sea level or just slightly above it. In order to go with the flow of the approaching tide and avoid the surging population in urban centers, Waterbuurt adapts to the rising sea levels and finds calm away from the congestion of the city. Upon completion, 18,000 homes will comprise Waterbuurt, but for now, more than 100 of them float on jetties. The houses, which are permanently fastened to steel pylon-enforced moorings, resemble attractive shipping containers and share more in appearances with land-based housing than the familiar houseboats dotted along Amsterdam’s canals.

Considering the accelerated rise of global sea levels, Copenhagen Islands are only the beginning of how urban design will adapt to the changing climate by optimizing the water bodies as sustainably as possible. “To renew the proud traditions of the Danish harbor life, by strengthening the social cohesion and awareness of the maritime life in and around the harbor,” says Studio Fokstrot as they explain the idea behind the floating parks. The islands are activity-friendly and enable visitors to enjoy boating, swimming, kayaking, picnics, performances, events, and more which could also boost tourism or simply make things better for citizens with travel being on the down-low this year. These programs can also be customized for seasons – summer is when the islands will be docked away from each other to create space for water activities while during winter the islands will huddle up closer for more engaging performances.

The Lilypad is a luxury villa designed by Chuck Anderson and is anchored just north of Sydney’s Palm Beach. Anderson is a boat enthusiast so it is no surprise that he created a floating house! This beautiful Airbnb is also eco-conscious, it is completely solar-powered and is slowly helping us pivot towards sustainable travel. The exterior of the house is made from timber and includes an open living area, a wine cellar, a sleeping loft, and, of course, a bathroom (for all that wine that we will consume post quarantine on our holiday!). To feel fancy, you have alfresco dining (which means you can eat your food while enjoying the breeze and sun when going outside is cool again) and sunbathing area on the lower level which also boasts of an expansive terrace.

Tiny home setups that are sustainable alternatives for designing eco-friendly modern architecture!

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Sustainability has been running on everybody’s mind. Ever since the pandemic shook up our world, we’re trying to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of our life, including our homes! With everyone aspiring toward’s eco-friendly and mindful ways of living, tiny homes have been taking over the architecture world and they continue to grow popular by the day. What started off as a cute little trend is now turning into a serious option for home spaces. They are a space-saving, economical, and sustainable living solution that reduce the load on Mother Earth! They’re simple and minimal alternatives to the imposing and materialistic homes that seem to have taken over. And, we’ve curated a wide range of micro-home setups that will cater to everybody’s unique needs and preferences! There’s a tiny home out there for everyone.

While Vancouver has quickly become one of the most expensive cities to live in, it is not densely populated and there are a lot of vacant spaces that can be put to better use – Shifting Nests sustainable tiny homes is that use! This project wants to transform empty parking lots into a community with gardens and low-cost homes. “The ‘nests’ are a prefabricated housing solution consisting of plywood, metal cladding, and corrugated polycarbonate on a series of simple frames. The jury was impressed by the sensible linear plan layout, segmented into zones for resting, bathing, cooking, living, dining, and farming,” explains the team, Shifting Nests won the first prize in the Bee Breeders 2019 Mircohome competition for its futuristic approach to affordable housing that took the environment into account. The structures almost look like a hybrid between an RV and a bunker.

One of my favorite things about tiny homes is the loft-style beds because they give you a little private cozy corner and that is exactly how the bedroom in Natura is set up. It has a multifunctional king-sized bed with plenty of storage under the frame. The bedroom also has a single large window that makes it more spacious and allows for a lot of natural light to flood your top floor. The space optimization goes beyond the bedroom, there are many built-in spaces for you to put the things you own like under the stairs as well as in the walls! The choice of materials for exterior and interior has been kept in line with the eco-friendly mission – there is wood paneling on the exterior, a thick corkboard layer on the front to add a defining feature that doubles as a breathable, fire-retardant area by the bedroom.

E-glamp is a product/service that has been designed to boost economic and tourist development in rural areas. Think of it as an Airbnb-style tiny house merged with a biking network like Bird or Lime. It is an integrated system of modern cabins that are all independently powered by solar panels. These tiny homes are also fitted with smart tech and are connected to the e-bike system which encourages carbon-neutral exploration of the landscape. Biking not only helps to maintain the pristine air quality of the rural area but also helps in getting an enjoyable workout in. All the E-glamp houses are modular, movable, and constructed with sustainable materials like timber.

Chris Collaris and i29 Interior Architects built the Tiny Holiday Home in a nature reserve near Amsterdam, in The Netherlands. This minimal and compact home is all black and stands out amongst the lush greenery all around it. Black-stained pinewood gives the holiday home a strong identity. Although it is only 55 square meters, the tiny home was designed to be spatially efficient, and open.

Kodasema designed this tiny prefabricated home that allows its residents to move to a new location within a day! The house moves along with its owners. The mobile house features a 25 square meter footprint and can be assembled on site. The tiny home’s factory-made components make it extremely easy to assemble, disassemble, and transport from one location to another, enabling residents to relocate with ease. It’s a tiny house on wheels without actual wheels!

Johannesburg-based architect Clara da Cruz Almeida designed her prefabricated tiny home, Pod-Idladla with the idea of creating a tiny living space for young graduates without the means for a downpayment. Before the manufacturing process, Pod-Idladla was conceived by Clara for young professionals to have a sustainable, affordable, and multifunctional living space. Inside, the living areas form one fluid space, rather than individual rooms. Walking through the unit’s front door, vertical storage solutions line the unit’s veneered walls and universal brackets allow the plywood storage bins to be moved around the pod.

Named the Kvivik Igloo, the tiny, prefabricated houses perch the hilltops of Kvivik, overlooking the bay and surrounding mountains. Designed to look like tiny hobbit cottages, each Kvivik Igloo is built with a hexagonal frame and design elements meant to echo the past. Lined with asphalt panels, the Kvivik Igloos can sprout grass and greenery from their roofs and sides to really transport residents into their favorite hobbit fairytale. The igloo’s living roof not only adds to its charm but also to the tiny home’s sustainability factor, creating a heightened nesting place for birds and woodland creatures alike.

Unemori Architects designed a tiny home in Tokyo formed from multiple stacked boxes covered in corrugated steel. Named House Tokyo, the 26 square meter home attempts to make the most out of the small space it occupies. It utilizes the space in the most efficient way possible. Made from cement clad in galvanized steel, the house also features a unique geometric structure.

Andreia Garcia Architectural Affairs and Diogo Aguiar Studio designed this tiny holiday home in Guimarães, Portugal. Named the Pavilion House, the timber-clad home is situated on a mountainside, surrounded by vineyards and a forest. It is essentially a single room accentuated by large windows. It is a minimal home that provides refuge in the midst of nature, without impacting it.

Walking inside Holger, the tiny living space is completely open to house a kitchen, sleeping and dining areas, as well as a play corner for Pierre’s and Lea’s daughter. While hidden storage areas are plenty inside Holger, the family of three live in a minimalist lifestyle by choice, so the home itself remains open and holds onto an air of spaciousness. The sleeping area keeps a big square bed that measures two meters in width and length, with the longest side jutting out an extra quarter of a meter, large enough for Pierre, Lea, and their daughter to sleep together. Just below the family’s bed, long and voluminous pull-out drawers keep each of their wardrobes hidden from view unless pulled out.