Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank
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0:09 - 0:12Some of my friends have bought a house,
-
0:12 - 0:14a reasonably priced,
three or four bedroom. -
0:15 - 0:18Not expensive, but enough to tie them
to a 30-year mortgage. -
0:19 - 0:23They work a nine-hour day, and travel
two hours to get there and back. -
0:24 - 0:28By the time they get home, relax, sleep;
-
0:28 - 0:30they have to get up and do it all again.
-
0:31 - 0:34Sometimes they say
they feel a little bit trapped. -
0:35 - 0:38Realistically, half of the rooms
in that house are empty all the time. -
0:39 - 0:42And they're always looking forward
to their next holiday, -
0:42 - 0:43away from it all -
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0:43 - 0:45the house included.
-
0:45 - 0:47Apparently, this is quite normal.
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0:48 - 0:51My partner Andrew and I
are at about this point in our lives. -
0:52 - 0:57But the idea of striving for this kind
of lifestyle seems out of balance. -
0:58 - 1:01Health, nature, and time
feels like it's being traded -
1:01 - 1:03for house, money, and stuff.
-
1:05 - 1:09I guess, most of us follow the same path:
buy as much as we can afford, -
1:09 - 1:15in the best area we can afford,
and adjust our lifestyles to suit. -
1:16 - 1:19Usually this means
a big house in the suburbs -
1:19 - 1:21with a bit of a commute.
-
1:23 - 1:27The problem I have with this is that
I believe our physical environments -
1:27 - 1:30enforce habits, both good and bad.
-
1:31 - 1:34We build the world's biggest houses,
and fill them with stuff, -
1:34 - 1:36worsening our ecological footprint.
-
1:37 - 1:39Many of our houses are quite insular,
-
1:39 - 1:42turning their backs on neighbors
and the public street. -
1:43 - 1:46We take out crippling mortgages
-
1:46 - 1:49in our pursuit for the great
Australian dream, -
1:49 - 1:54and sacrifice our welfare,
our relationships, and our hobbies. -
1:54 - 1:56So this was a bit of a problem for us.
-
1:56 - 2:00What we really wanted was something
a lot smaller and more flexible -
2:00 - 2:02than what the market offered.
-
2:03 - 2:06We wanted to buy something
within our means, -
2:07 - 2:12and have our lifestyle adapt our home,
not the other way around. -
2:13 - 2:18Our homes could be so much more,
and take so much less. -
2:18 - 2:21They could offer us easy ways
to process our own waste, -
2:22 - 2:24or recycle our water.
-
2:24 - 2:29They could offer us ways to collect
and monitor our energy usage, -
2:29 - 2:32or foster connected communities.
-
2:34 - 2:38And of course, like many problems,
this isn't just a personal problem, -
2:38 - 2:41this issue is broader;
it's on the national and global scale. -
2:42 - 2:47Our homes demand huge amounts
of energy to build and operate. -
2:47 - 2:51Not only this, but they produce
large amounts of waste. -
2:52 - 2:56And the land clearing required
for new low-density development -
2:56 - 2:58is an ongoing problem.
-
2:59 - 3:04And yet, we stubbornly march forward,
building bigger and bigger houses yearly. -
3:06 - 3:10The average floor plan size
or the average area of our houses -
3:10 - 3:13has steadily grown over the past 15 years.
-
3:14 - 3:18And simultaneously, the number of people
living in these houses has declined. -
3:18 - 3:23And to top it all off, many of us
can't even afford to buy a house. -
3:25 - 3:29The average price of our houses
in Australian capital cities -
3:29 - 3:32is now more than seven times
our average annual income. -
3:33 - 3:35That's huge.
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3:35 - 3:39So the last year my partner and I,
and a builder-mate of ours, -
3:40 - 3:46teamed up with his small crew as well,
to design and build an alternative. -
3:47 - 3:51Something based on our desires,
and not the market expectations. -
3:51 - 3:54You may have heard of the term,
a "tiny house" before. -
3:54 - 3:58In our case, it's essentially
a fully functioning house -
3:58 - 4:01condensed down into 18 square meters,
-
4:02 - 4:05which is two car-parking spaces.
-
4:07 - 4:11The product is a home
that is transportable, -
4:11 - 4:13more affordable than the average house,
-
4:13 - 4:16and also, more environmentally friendly.
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4:17 - 4:19So let me give you a quick tour.
-
4:19 - 4:21The house is built on a trailer,
-
4:21 - 4:24so you can tow a fully functioning house
onto site and park it there. -
4:25 - 4:27You enter the house via the deck.
-
4:28 - 4:32The deck is made up of modular panels,
that attach to the side of the house -
4:32 - 4:35when you arrive on site,
doubling the width. -
4:35 - 4:39The doors and windows are made
of recycled floor joists of old cottages, -
4:39 - 4:44and this recycled timber-fill
is continued through on the bench tops, -
4:44 - 4:48the shelves, and the decking boards.
-
4:49 - 4:52Because space is such an issue,
-
4:52 - 4:55it was important to maintain
good views through the house. -
4:55 - 4:58So the front entry windows and doors
-
4:58 - 5:02line up with the windows
in front of the kitchen. -
5:03 - 5:07Once inside, you are presented
with long views through the house. -
5:07 - 5:12The rhythm of the portal frames
helps to organise the space, -
5:12 - 5:16and reduce the feeling of clutter.
-
5:17 - 5:21Up one end, is an L-shaped
lounge space, -
5:21 - 5:25and behind that
is floor-to-ceiling storage. -
5:25 - 5:28By day, this is a lounge space,
-
5:28 - 5:31and by night, a bed
is lowered down from the ceiling. -
5:31 - 5:34In the central space,
on one side is the kitchen bench, -
5:34 - 5:36and on the other side is a narrow bench,
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5:36 - 5:40which turns into the vanity
and the laundry space. -
5:40 - 5:42And at the far end is the bathroom,
-
5:42 - 5:45which is separated from
the main space by a sliding door. -
5:46 - 5:51The bathroom contains a full-size shower,
and a composting toilet, -
5:51 - 5:54because this one was designed
to be able to be off-grid. -
5:55 - 5:57Above the backroom space is a loft,
-
5:57 - 6:00which could be used
as additional sleeping space -
6:00 - 6:04for a double or a queen bed,
or for more storage space. -
6:05 - 6:07It was really important for us
-
6:07 - 6:10to make the space feel
a lot bigger than it actually is. -
6:10 - 6:13And some of the strategies
we used for this -
6:13 - 6:15were the high ceilings with the louvers,
-
6:15 - 6:17white walls,
-
6:17 - 6:21views were carefully organised
through and down the space, -
6:22 - 6:24and strategic placement of some mirrors.
-
6:24 - 6:27Of course, aesthetics aside,
-
6:27 - 6:30it was important that it functions
really well as a house. -
6:30 - 6:33So in such a small home,
storage was really important. -
6:33 - 6:36We had to exploit every
opportunity we could: -
6:36 - 6:42under the floor, in the walls,
around the wheel-arches, in the furniture. -
6:42 - 6:45Of course, as well,
we had to enact different scenarios -
6:45 - 6:46of how the space would be used.
-
6:46 - 6:50So, what would we do
when we had guests over? -
6:50 - 6:55How could the space be rearranged
for different activities of the day? -
6:55 - 6:59So far, the capacity has been 30.
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7:00 - 7:01(Laughter)
-
7:04 - 7:06In designing the house,
-
7:06 - 7:09we had to fit a lot of things
into quite a small space. -
7:11 - 7:13But for us, the ultimate
measure of success -
7:13 - 7:17was were we able to retain
the essence of a home. -
7:18 - 7:21Sure, it's not for everyone,
but it suits us well. -
7:22 - 7:25Being built on a trailer meant
that there are many alternatives -
7:25 - 7:27for how the space is used.
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7:27 - 7:31People who own land
could expand their space -
7:31 - 7:34by adding an additional
bit of accommodation. -
7:35 - 7:38Those that don't own land,
it can open up many options for them. -
7:38 - 7:40And that is the case
with my partner and I. -
7:41 - 7:44Arrangements can be made,
and if you bring your home with you, -
7:44 - 7:46it's amazing where
you can find places to live. -
7:46 - 7:51There's also opportunities for people
who have live-in workers -
7:51 - 7:55or dependent family members,
-
7:55 - 7:58even holiday accommodation.
-
7:58 - 8:02Of course, there's also
further things to consider -
8:02 - 8:04with movable, small modular homes
-
8:04 - 8:11about disaster relief housing,
and communities that want to be off-grid, -
8:11 - 8:14or more remote properties.
-
8:14 - 8:18And a tiny house
that can function fully off-grid -
8:18 - 8:21works well in those scenarios.
-
8:21 - 8:26Another issue that is worth briefly
mentioning is our aging population, -
8:26 - 8:30and various different ways our housing
-
8:30 - 8:32might not be tailored
well enough for that, -
8:32 - 8:34and how small dwellings could be used
-
8:34 - 8:40either in the property of children
for elderly parents, -
8:40 - 8:42or even in the back
of their own properties, -
8:42 - 8:45and they could rent
or sell their larger house, -
8:47 - 8:49and still stay in their own community.
-
8:49 - 8:54With a bit of creative thinking
and collaboration with counsels, -
8:54 - 8:58developers, neighbors, friends, family,
-
8:59 - 9:03I believe we could overcome
a lot of issues we have with our housing. -
9:04 - 9:08Whether we like it or not,
our housing is a reflection of who we are -
9:08 - 9:11and what we value as a society.
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9:12 - 9:16So the status quo of Australian
housing should concern us. -
9:17 - 9:23We are building bigger and bigger houses,
and we need not; perhaps we should not. -
9:23 - 9:27I don't want to try and convince
you all to live in a tiny house. -
9:27 - 9:31What I would like to pose is a challenge
-
9:31 - 9:34to dismiss our preconceptions,
-
9:34 - 9:38to put aside those preconceptions
about our home and to really think -
9:39 - 9:42what do we want our home to provide.
-
9:42 - 9:45I think that only
when we get to that point -
9:45 - 9:50can we reflect on what's really important
in our homes, and our lifestyles. -
9:51 - 9:53It's very difficult
to put a price on a lifestyle. -
9:54 - 9:57But for me, it's definitely
worth more than the fourth bedroom. -
9:58 - 10:00(Applause)
- Title:
- Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank
- Description:
-
With an optimism that’s grounded in tangible solutions, Lara has travelled the world studying urban design solutions in Berlin, micro-housing in Tokyo, and alternative housing in Portland. She’s now developing a new type of compact housing in Australia – one that’s driven by our needs rather than market expectations. Leading by example, she has co-founded a company to produce these affordable ‘tiny houses’.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 10:06
Ellen approved English subtitles for Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank | ||
Ellen edited English subtitles for Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank | ||
Rhonda Jacobs accepted English subtitles for Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Tiny homes of the future | Lara Nobel | TEDxSouthBank |