The University of British Columbia
Department of Civil Engineering
Civil 201: Project Description
Objective
This semester, you will develop a conceptual design of a tiny home. Each assignment over the semester
will contribute to a final assignment. Your team will:
i) develop and write a project vision,
ii) present a draft conceptual design and plan, and then
iii) write a project budget and plan.
All of these will contribute to your final conceptual design proposal.
Through these assignments, you will practice including community, economic, environmental, and
technical constraints and goals. You’ll strategically plan and negotiate the technical and community
partnerships that will create an economically and technically successful project. Your team will do this
by selecting a group of stakeholders and project collaborators inspired by real tiny home projects.
Context
Tiny homes offer a scalable solution for the rising demand for affordable housing. The tiny home
movement advocates for a sustainable way of living; where people downsize their living space and
simplify their way of life. A typical house in North America ~2600 sqft, the average tiny home ranges
from 100 - 400 sqft [1].
As a result of COVID-19 “work from home” has been normalized, giving many people the flexibility
to work from anywhere. The project will involve the conceptual design of an innovative tiny home.
The site location and client(s) will impact the geotechnical design, climate resilience, engineering
standards and project collaborators involved. Moreover, your team will get the opportunity to explore
ways in which Indigenous, local, and traditional construction knowledge can inform your design
process in economically feasible ways.
The conceptual design will include material selection, structural, geotechnical, and water resource
system designs to meet tiny home water demands, the cost estimate of the tiny home’s detailed design
and construction, and a cutting edge design component that fosters a positive impact on society,
culture, mental and/or physical health. Additionally, your conceptual design must account for
accessibility requirement(s) informed by your community consultation plan. Lastly, the conceptual
design must address at least one of the LEED certification standards within the two highlighted
categories shown in figure 1 [2].
Figure 1. LEED certification categories [2]
The tiny home should be approximately 400 square feet and must adhere to client specifications and
the Vancouver codes and standards for engineering design. Your project will be regulated by the
National Building Code of Canada, Canadian Standards association (CSA), BC building code and
Vancouver building By-Law [3].
Figure 2. Shows a living example of a sustainable tiny home with a green roof built in Ecuador. This
design chose to explore traditional construction methods to meet new sustainable building standards
in Ecuador.
Figure 2. A tiny home in Ecuador built using traditional construction techniques designed by Luis Velasco
Roldan and Angel Hevia Antuña [4]
Collaborators for Three Different Design Options:
Your group will select one of the three tiny house conceptual design projects listed below.
1. OPTION 1: Emergency transitional housing for Ukrainian refugees
Better Shelter is a Swedish foundation that provides temporary shelter and refugee housing units
(RHU) for displaced families. They aim to promote improved health and education through their
built infrastructure. UNHCR collaborated with Better Shelter to provide sustainable refugee
housing units in 2013 in Lebanon and Iraq. After the success from this partnership they have
continued to collaborate on issues concerning sustainable housing for refugees. The war in
Ukraine has displaced more than fourteen million people from their homes. Better Shelter is
working on providing temporary shelters for the growing displaced population in Ukraine and its
neighboring countries [5]. Your project team has been hired to consult as junior civil engineers to
help inform the design process to build 10 sustainable tiny homes in Dubliany
a. Project Collaborators:
i.
UNHCR
ii.
Better shelter
iii.
Displaced families from Ukraine War
iv.
Local material/construction supplier
Figure 3. Plan to Develop a Temporary Housing Village For Refugees in Lviv [6]
Figure 4. Site location for stakeholder option 1: 49.901423, 24.074603 [7]
Guiding questions for Aspirational Design:
● How does tiny home arrangement impact mental health and wellbeing within the
community?
● How can green infrastructure support and promote public health goals?
● How does material selection affect outdoor surface temperature? Indoor temperature and
air quality for your clients?
2. OPTION 2: Temporary housing in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, Canada
The City of Vancouver has approved a two year Tiny Shelter Project to provide temporary
emergency housing for people who might otherwise be experiencing homelessness. There is a
large amount of community interest in developing an actionable solution through the
implementation of tiny homes. Project collaborators who have expressed interest include
churches, academic institutions and construction service providers. Moreover, this project aims to
collaborate with the Lu’uma Native housing society to create space for decolonization and
reconciliation. They have hired a team of junior civil engineers to develop a conceptual design for
10 tiny shelter structures at 875 Terminal Avenue, the parking lot at the Klahowya Tilicum Lalum
shelter [3]. Builders without borders is currently working on a project with UBC
Sustaingineering, FPInnovations and the Heiltsuk nation and builders without borders would also
like to collaborate with your team to build tiny homes [8].
a. Project Collaborators:
i.
Lu’uma Native Housing Society
ii.
Homeless community around the Downtown Eastside
iii.
The City of Vancouver
iv.
UBC Sustaingineering
v.
Builders Without Borders
Figure 5. Site location for stakeholder option 2: Parking lot at 875 Terminal Avenue [3]
Guiding question for Aspirational Design:
● What role has Cory Douglas’ work played in reconciliation and design?
● How does building design and access to natural light impact our circadian rhythm?
● In direct response to the problems caused by social isolation, how can tiny home
arrangement promote community interaction?
3. OPTION 3: Laneway home conceptual design for Point Grey, Vancouver, Canada
The City of Vancouver is requesting proposals to develop a conceptual design for a standardized
laneway home. Section 11 from the zoning and development bylaw currently states that a
laneway house is “defined as a detached one-family dwelling constructed in the rear yard of a site
with a one-family dwelling or one family dwelling with secondary suite. A laneway house may
not exceed the lesser of 0.16 FSR (with the building area dependent on the site size) or 86.3 sq. m
(929 sq. ft.)” [9]. Laneway homes provide a scalable and more permanent solution to address
affordable housing concerns. The design of a standard laneway home can save the cost of
individual laneway home design, make the process easier and the price more predictable, and
select required materials and resources available under current supply chain constraints. Campos
Studio is interested in collaborating with your team to develop a conceptual design for a standard
laneway home in Point Grey.
a. Project Collaborators:
i.
The City of Vancouver
ii.
UBC students
iii.
UBC design teams
iv.
Campos Studio
Figure 6. Sample laneway home project on 4022 Quesnel Drive [10]
Figure 7. Miko Laneway Housing Project from Campos Studio in Point Grey [11]
Since your laneway home design won’t be site specific you will work with a geotechnical
engineer to account for different subsurface conditions that will affect your building material
selection. You may situate your conceptual design on 4022 Quesnel drive as it provides the
appropriate design conditions for a laneway housing project in Point Grey.
Figure 8. Infographic for a one-family laneway home [12]
Guiding questions for Aspirational Design:
● How will your laneway home location account for the existing built environment to
maximize the ease of walking and biking?
● How does access to green space affect mental and physical health?
● How will your lineway home account for bike and stroller storage?
Design Criteria
Your conceptual design must be technically feasible and meet the minimum requirements for capital cost,
accessibility, and comply with the National Building Code of Canada, Canadian Standards association
(CSA), BC building code and Vancouver building By-Law [3].
Criterion
Description
Weight (%)
Cost
Total cost of ownership
including the initial capital cost
30
Resilience
Ability to withstand regionally
appropriate shocks (earthquake,
tornado, hot/cold weather
events)
30
User Experience
Livability (convenience and
comfort undertaking daily
tasks*), airflow and air quality,
indoor temperature, provides
appropriate accommodation for
accessibility requirements
informed by community
consultation.
20
Environmental Sustainability
Addresses core LEED
sustainability standards for
building and design
15
Social Impact
Addresses a social inequality
(eliminates poverty), creates
physical space for community
events/gardens,
5
*you will need to define what daily tasks this structure supports
Scope of Work
The conceptual design is expected to give attention to the following elements:
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●
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●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
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A search for and review of available information relating to the project objective, including three
precedent examples of tiny homes.
A review of existing aspirational design elements that foster a positive impact on society,
culture, mental and/or physical health.
A review of issues, criteria, and assumptions, A formal decision-making process in
the selection of preferred technical design elements.
A review of appropriate building codes and standards
A description of your chosen client, and how they inform the design process
A task list with project collaborators in and out of civil engineering.
An evaluation of three realistic and distinct design options reflecting materials,
structural and geotechnical elements, locations, access, safety, and climate
resilience.
A selection of LEED system goals on building design.
A review of collaborative design thinking and human centered design.
A presentation and written conceptual design proposal, in accordance with specified
requirements.
A cost estimate of the proposed option.
Transportation engineering is out of scope for this design project.
Power and electricity calculations are out of scope for this design project.
APPENDIX A – PROJECT RESOURCES
[1] “What is the tiny house movement? why tiny houses?,” The Tiny Life, 02-Mar-2022. [Online].
Available: https://thetinylife.com/what-is-the-tiny-house-movement/ . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[2] “LEED scorecard,” LEED scorecard | U.S. Green Building Council. [Online]. Available:
https://www.usgbc.org/leed-tools/scorecard . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[3] “Report contact no.: 604-673-8287 submit comments to council ... - vancouver.” [Online].
Available: https://council.vancouver.ca/20220209/documents/cfsc3.pdf . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[4] “Tiny Green-roofed house proves the superiority of Ecuador's traditional construction techniques,”
Inhabitat, 16-Oct-2015. [Online]. Available:
https://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-lightweight-house-proves-the-superiority-of-ecuadors-traditional-c
onstruction-techniques/ . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[5] The Plaid Zebra and [Email Protected], “IKEA designs pre-made tiny-homes to send to
refugee camps around the world,” The Plaid Zebra, 24-Feb-2021. [Online]. Available:
https://theplaidzebra.com/ikea-designs-pre-made-tiny-homes/ . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[6] “The temporary housing for migrants to be constructed in two communities of the Lviv Region,”
Твоє Місто - твоє телебачення. [Online]. Available:
https://tvoemisto.tv/en/news/the_temporary_housing_for_migrants_to_be_constructed_in_two_comm
unities_of_the_lviv_region_130212.html . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[7] Google maps. [Online]. Available:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/49%C2%B054'05.1%22N+24%C2%B004'28.6%22E/@49.9014
229,24.0701237,612m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x88a8e8b59cd7b074!7e2!8m2!3d49.90
14229!4d24.074603 . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[8] “Tiny Homes Project,” Indigenous Research Support Initiative. [Online]. Available:
https://irsi.ubc.ca/tiny-homes-project . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[9]“Additional regulations for specific uses - vancouver.” [Online]. Available:
https://bylaws.vancouver.ca/zoning/zoning-by-law-section-11.pdf . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[10] Google maps. [Online]. Available:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/4022+Quesnel+Dr,+Vancouver,+BC+V6L+2X2/@49.2509201,123.1726786,196m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x5486730947e1966f:0x1740bcb9f46cd5cc!8m2!3d
49.2508495!4d-123.1724388 . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[11] “Point grey laneway,” Campos Studio. [Online]. Available:
https://www.campos.studio/point-grey-laneway/ . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[12] “Housing options in most RS zones brochure - vancouver.” [Online]. Available:
https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/housing-options-in-most-rs-zones-brochure.pdf . [Accessed:
24-Aug-2022].
APPENDIX B – Additional Supporting resources
[1] W. Wu and B. Hyatt, “Experiential and project-based learning in BIM for sustainable living with tiny solar
houses,” Procedia Engineering, vol. 145, pp. 579–586, 2016.
[2] “First in the World Tiny House awarded prestigious LEED Platinum Green Building Certification,”
U.S. Green Building Council. [Online]. Available:
https://www.usgbc.org/articles/first-world-tiny-house-awarded-prestigious-leed-platinum-green-buildingcertification . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[3] S. McNulty-Kowal, “This rammed earth tiny home concept reinterprets farmhouses with a pitched
green roof and photovoltaic panels! - yanko design,” Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News,
27-Aug-2021. [Online]. Available:
https://www.yankodesign.com/2021/08/27/this-rammed-earth-tiny-home-concept-reinterprets-farmhouses
-with-a-pitched-green-roof-and-photovoltaic-panels/ . [Accessed: 24-Aug-2022].
[4] L. Heidari, M. Younger, G. Chandler, J. Gooch, and P. Schramm, “Integrating health into buildings of
the future,” Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, vol. 139, no. 1, 2016.