In the United States, Ikea has designed and donated a 34 m² tiny house that will be used to house the homeless in San Antonio, Texas.
It is a small but very special house. This small 34 m² house designed by Ikea should make it possible to accommodate the elderly on the street. A first copy was donated by the Swedish company to the Towne Twin Village in San Antonio in the United States.
The Towne Twin Village is a project under construction that will provide permanent housing for “the most marginalized and vulnerable people in the San Antonio region.” According to the report, this major Texas city has seen a steady increase in the number of homeless people since the Covid-19 pandemic New York Post. More generally, the United States is facing a affordable housing crisis.
To develop this small house Ikea collaborated with an architectural firm. Together, they say they used sustainable materials and worked with “an empathy-based design approach.”
The stated ambition is to “create spaces that promote healing and dignity for all”.
A design adapted to needs
Their design is based on the needs expressed by residents. “The data, for example, highlighted a preference for the shower/tub combination compared to the shower alone,” explains the Ikea group in its press release. It can be assumed that homeless people have rarely had the opportunity to enjoy a bathtub and that this convenience is particularly important to them.
According to the company, “residents also want the ability to host guests, so flexible and versatile furniture increases resident satisfaction.”
“A home is more than a physical space, it’s where we find comfort, peace and a sense of belonging,” said the group’s director of sustainability, Sam Eisenman, in a press release published earlier this year.
The Towne Twin Village of San Antonio must welcome elderly people who have lived in the fields or on the streets, who have lived at least a year of homeless or who have disabilities or suffer from chronic diseases.
With this project the tiny house will return to one of its first uses. During Hurricane Katrina, many of these small homes, nicknamed “Katrina Cottages”, were built to provide shelter for those affected.