These mobile tiny homes have been developed by Irish social enterprise Common Knowledge with an admirable goal in mind: to provide housing relief to those affected by the rental crisis. Dubbed Tigín Tiny Homes, after the Gaelic word for ‘small cottage’, this project boasts a commitment to sustainability, affordability and education. This eco-design ethos has earned the tiny homewidespread praise, including a Life Enhancer of the Year award as part of the 2023 Wallpaper* Design Awards.
The Tigín Tiny Homes project began in response to an escalating housing crisis in Ireland, where rising rents and mortgages continue to impede the community. This project is thus designed to help people to ‘escape the rent trap’ by not only offering affordable and comfortable tiny homes for sale, but also by offering training through their Build School program that would allow customers to build and maintain their tiny homes themselves. The intention is to bridge the gap between renters and homeowners, offering a comfy and affordable in-between option. This option will appeal to a range of people, including parents seeking to assist their adult offspring in establishing a foothold in the real estate market.
The homes occupy a twenty square foot space and are completely mobile, available for purchase ready-made at €55,000 (approx. $60,000 USD). Alternatively, Common Knowledge (which is primarily an education provider), offers workshops teaching everyday construction skills, empowering people to be self-sufficient and independent. Through these workshops, they have already taught 200 people the skills to build their own tiny homes, and that number continues to grow. Profits from the workshops and the prefabricated tiny homes go towards funding future Build School programs, further perpetuating Common Knowledge’s values of affordability and autonomy.
In addition to the housing crisis, Common Knowledge is concerned about the climate crisis too, which is why sustainability is a key element in the design of the Tigín Tiny Homes. Each tiny home includes an environmentally friendly composting toilet and a tailored electrical setup designed for solar generated power and off-grid living. In searching for a sustainable yet lightweight material to construct their tiny homes with, Common Knowledge has partnered with Margent farms to use their corrugated hemp panels, which are fabricated through the fusion of fibers from the cannabis plant with a resin derived from sugar-based agricultural byproducts.
In keeping with their values, Common Knowledge plans to open-source the designs for the Tígin Tiny Homes, allowing anyone to build their own at home. An architectural toolkit containing comprehensive drawings and a materials list along with recommended suppliers will be unveiled, with tips on how to scale the construction up or down, according to your desired price or preferred materials.
Whether you are just searching for an affordable and sustainable tiny house, or if you’re eager to get your hands dirty and built it yourself, Tigín Tiny Homes offer a valuable alternative to the ever-increasing costs of the rental market.
