Most people choose the tiny house lifestyle for two reasons. The first is the mobile lifestyle it offers, and the second is the cost savings compared to traditional homes. Matti Kuittinen built his for neither. The Finnish architect and associate professor of sustainable construction at Aalto University had a third, stronger reason to go small. He wanted to prove a point, that one can live comfortably in a home that asks little of the planet. So he self-designed what he calls the Shadow tiny house, a 365-square-foot dwelling where more than half the building, by weight, “is made from recycled or reused materials.”
Wallpaper first reported on the project, noting that, compared with conventional detached homes, the Shadow tiny house requires 85 percent less material and 43 percent less land per capita. Dwell, which further reported on the subject, noted that 56 percent of the home’s weight is recycled, giving it less than half the carbon footprint of a typical house and around 20 percent of the material consumption of a standard detached home.
The recycled raw materials make up the steel frame, bitumen roofing, insulation, construction boards, and flooring. Other reused components include the exterior cladding, doors, windows, fixed furniture, and bathroom fixtures. Aalto University has also shared a video online claiming the timber facade carries a 100 percent reuse rate, and the living room floor is a textile carpet woven from old fishing nets.
For the interior, Kuittinen drew inspiration from Japanese aesthetics, favoring clean lines and minimal clutter. He also placed a strong emphasis on spaces that serve more than one purpose, and that thinking shows in every corner of the home. To start with, the central area is the largest and most flexible in the house. Open and spacious for its footprint, it functions as both a kitchen and a living room. Interestingly, there is no hard partition between the living room and the kitchen, yet the two don’t bleed into each other. This is possible because black curtains can close off the kitchen when not in use, keeping the main living area clean and uncluttered.
The kitchen keeps things simple and functional, with floating shelves, a countertop, and a sink alongside the usual appliances. The kitchen sans upper cabinets entirely in favor of open shelves, keeping the space uncluttered. The countertops are made from a composite of recycled stone. A little ahead is the sleeping area, which is a dedicated private module, separated from the main living space. Not to mention, a small workspace that nearby doubles as a study, and can also be curtained off when needed. Lastly, there is a sauna, housed in its own module as well.
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Another interesting aspect of the Shadow tiny house is the bathroom, which also leans heavily on recycled materials, with 80 percent recycled materials overall. The walls, floor, and sink are made from recycled plastic. Other highlights include a toilet and a glass-enclosed shower.
All in all, the Shadow tiny house came to around $100,000, slightly below the average construction cost in Finland. The Shadow is not for sale. Kuittinen designed it as his own family home and is living in it to test the real-life advantages of tiny living as part of a research initiative.
