ENTRANCE is a research institute that focuses on accelerating the energy transition, sustainable off-grid living (such as in Tiny Houses) and combating climate change to keep our planet liveable for future generations. ‘In short, a versatile and broad place to do an internship’, say Micha Stoffer and Radjin Feddema, two industrial product design (IPO) students at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen. They completed their 3rd year internship within the urban energy learning community with a study of the Tiny House market and developed a Tiny House themselves.
A Tiny House as an answer to flooding
‘In the context of “keeping our planet liveable” and sustainable off-grid living, we came up with a great assignment together with our internship supervisor: developing a solution for the rising water levels around the Netherlands. How can we protect our homes against this?’ The two state: ‘Due to climate change, it is almost certain that floods will occur more often and more severely. In addition to the human suffering, the most painful moments of a flood are when people have to leave their possessions and homes behind, only to see that everything has been destroyed upon their return.’
A solution could lie in a modern, sustainable and mobile Tiny House. ‘When dikes break or rivers flood, you can simply move to a higher area.’ Micha has mainly focused on the interior of the Tiny House and the off-grid aspect, while Radjin has mainly focused on the exterior and the laws and regulations.
Learning about sustainable technologies
Micha’s goal is to learn during the six-month internship how to create a functional, space-efficient and aesthetically attractive home, with smart solutions for storage and layout as the central focus. In addition, he wants to gain more insight into sustainable technologies for energy, water and heat, and how they can be integrated into a self-sufficient Tiny House.
From camper construction to Tiny House design
Radjin is a real Tiny House fan: One of my goals, even before I started this course, was to build and live in my own self-made Tiny House. That is why I was very happy with this internship. I have now made six campers, but you are exempt from many rules. I wanted to delve into the laws and regulations surrounding the construction of a Tiny House. When building campers, the construction part is already arranged, but with a Tiny House I have to do that myself. That seemed like a great challenge to me!’
Transparant wood – photo credits: Liam Leseman, alumnus Master Energy for Society, Hanze Hogeschool
Experimenting with transparent wood
In addition to a joint user analysis, trend and market research, standards research and product analysis, the two also each chose their own specializations in their internship. Radjin delved into the exterior of the design and the regulations.
‘At the start of the internship, Ron de Vrieze, our supervisor from Entrance, asked me if I could come up with something creative with the transparent wood that Entrance has been experimenting with for quite some time. Transparent wood is an innovative, sustainable material that lets light through.’
‘It has not yet been possible to make the wood completely clear, so that you can see through it. It is now more comparable to frosted glass, which somewhat limits its applications. Nevertheless, I wanted to integrate this unique material into my design for the house. I chose to use transparent wood for a special lighting application. Instead of a traditional lamp, my design uses natural sunlight to illuminate the house during the day. Transparent wood is extremely suitable for this, as it insulates much better than glass.’
‘The design consists of two parts: an upper and lower part that can easily be slid into each other, without the use of glue or sealant, so that it remains circular. The rubber O-rings ensure that water is kept out. Radkjin is proud of the result: ‘I am happy that I have succeeded in actually applying this innovative material in the house, despite the limitations of the material. The result is a beautiful, sustainable solution that contributes to the design both functionally and aesthetically.’
Image: Radjin, transparant wood application
Future research
Ron de Vrieze of Entrance adds: ‘There is still a lot to say (and research) about transparent wood. I started this in response to an article in 2017 and since then a number of students from business administration (RUG, Hanze), environmental science (Van Hall Larenstijn) and Master Energy for Society (Hanze) have graduated on it. A consortium of companies is now working on it. The knowledge centre biobased economy (KcBBE) of the Hanze is also involved because of its specific knowledge of chemical technology. In the coming period we will continue to research UV, strength, insulation value, types of wood, etc. The first part was made by us last year (see photo). We are now also working on a scientific article because we can demonstrate that what we make is not only biobased (50% cellulose and 50% PMMA as polymer) but also circular, because the polymer is also recyclable. Much is still in the research phase, but this seems to be a promising development.
Smart solutions for small spaces
Micha focused mainly on the off-grid aspect and the interior. With a self-developed multifunctional piece of furniture as a special result. ‘Before I started my ideation session for designing a multifunctional piece of furniture, I gained inspiration by researching existing multifunctional furniture. I focused on three essential components for a Tiny house: a table, a cupboard and a bench. Through a benchmark study and making collages of different designs, I gained insight into smart space-saving solutions. This research gave me new ideas and a strong basis for my own design.’
Multifunctional furniture, design by Micha
The result is a multifunctional bench that easily transforms into both a bed and a table. ‘Under the bench is a pull-out drawer that, together with the cushions as a mattress, forms a comfortable double bed. At the back is a fold-up shelf that serves as a table when it is folded up. In addition, the bench offers extra storage space on the sides, and the chairs can be stored in the table top, which can be closed with a flap. This smart and space-saving solution is ideal for compact living spaces.’
For additional information please contact Micha Stoffer: m.j.r.stoffer@st.hanze.nl
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