Tiny River Bungalow

The Tiny River Bungalow (TRB) is a prototype design to provide short-term housing for first responders, military personnel, and veterans recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and operational stress injury. Originally commissioned by the Canadian nonprofit organization Project Trauma Support, the TRB is a low-cost, sustainable, mobile living unit, intended to be deployed in village-like groupings that foster intimacy and bonding among program participants.

The TRB’s wood-frame structure is topped with a canted, corrugated aluminum roof and clad in sustainably grown local cedar siding. The interior palette—reclaimed oak floors and whitewashed plywood walls—reflects research showing that people experiencing PTSD benefit from a bright environment. Each TRB contains two small bedrooms, a single bathroom, and a central living area that opens to the outdoors via a folding glass wall. Space-efficient integral furniture includes a custom drop-down desk, storage benches, beds with built-in bookshelves, and multiuse storage units. Clerestory glazing supplies the bedrooms with ample natural light without compromising privacy. Rooftop photovoltaic panels supply electricity, and the design includes rainwater and greywater collection systems.

While designed for a specific program, the TRB prototype holds promise for a wide range of applications in physical and psychological rehabilitation and disaster relief. NMA has obtained a U.S. patent for the TRB design.

Renderer: Sven Johnson