Swedish Smart Houses for Students
Rents are high for students in Sweden, but a new design for student housing may be able to cut those costs in half. It’s all about living space, and these tiny student quarters make the best use of the just-over-100-square-feet of space they offer.
Since the space is used in the most efficient manner possible, and materials are locally sourced such as local wood, the homes are inexpensive to construct and are not a heavy burden on the environment. Nothing has been left out of the tiny home: There’s a place to cook, eat, study, sleep (you have to climb a little, but that’s fun, right?), even a tiny place to lounge a bit and a small outdoor area.
Double-purposed ingenuity allows all of this to fit in a condensed space. For example, the window coverings fold in to make tables for eating and studying. When used during the day, this design also provides natural light. The roof slants heavily, which lends itself to sustainable energy sources such as the addition of solar panels. The walls are made of a thick wood to keep the home naturally insulated, which means less energy for heating and cooling.
The little residences provide the privacy that many students lack due to sharing housing with roommates. It also offers a unique sense of independence at a low cost, in both money and in the amount of maintenance time that the living quarters require from a busy student.
While the one-person homes were designed for student use, a few simple changes could allow the design to be repurposed for other applications. The first homes for student use will be ready during the 2014 school year.