Big World Homes at the Sydney Architecture Festival

The 2016 Sydney Architecture Festival will unveil Australia’s first flat-packed, off-grid ‘tiny home’ created by Big World Homes, offering an innovative transitional housing solution for Sydney’s housing market.

Designed by architect Alexander Symes, the tiny home will be built by a group of non-skilled volunteers over a couple of hours on Thursday September 29 before being driven to the Festival Hub at Central Park. The completed Big World Home will then be on public display for the duration of the Festival from September 30 until October 3.

“Big World Homes seeks to bridge the gap between renting and home ownership, offering a transitional housing product that is affordable and also rethinks the way people live,” explained Big World Homes Architect Alexander Symes.

“We’re excited to be launching at the Sydney Architecture Festival one of the most progressive, socially oriented, community driven housing projects that Australia has ever seen. This comes at a time when the need for new options in affordable housing has never been greater,” added Mr Symes.

Portable, flat-packed and off-grid, Big World Homes can be built by two people in just a few days using a hammer and drill. The ‘tiny home’ comes completed fitted out internally with a living room, bed, running water and a plumbed bathroom. The entire structure is self sufficient and totally ‘off-grid’ with solar panels providing electricity and running water sourced from inbuilt rainwater tanks.

By cutting out land and labour costs that are usually incorporated into the price of a traditional home, Big World Homes have been able to reduce the cost of a first home by as much as 80%, with their tiny homes priced at AUD$65,000.

Big World Homes are designed to be sited on unused development sites or vacant land, where eligible affordable, off-grid home owners (or tenants) will come together to create communities. The incentive behind these homes lies in the challenges for the younger generation in breaking into the housing market, faced with declining wages, increasing relative prices and the difficulty of obtaining mortgages.

The project speaks to key themes being explored by the 2016 Sydney Architecture Festival – titled ‘Future Impending’ – including how much space we need to live and what is constituted as a home.

For more information on Big World Homes visit: bigworldhomes.com