Spatial Design student designs own tiny house

Not only is the 24-year-old HKU student graduating this year; she is also building her own tiny house. ‘As a design student, you might be more likely to dream of designing your own home. A tiny house seemed the most realistic way for me to design and create my own house.’

Femke has had to show some patience to realize her project. The idea of a tiny house already emerged when she was about sixteen, and she started saving money. She has been working on designing and building her future home for about four years now. And it shows: the outer walls are up, the insulation is in place, and the roof has been placed. Sometimes it meant carrying four-metre panels, and standing on tall ladders. ‘I never would have succeeded without help.’

Design and Construction

After her graduation, she plans to finish her house completely. She also wants to design and make some of the furniture herself, such as the couch. She tries to build as sustainably as possible: ‘I use second-hand items and try to use sustainable materials. That’s not always the material that lasts the longest, so I also carefully check how durable it is.’ It's clear that Femke is considering everything carefully and up to the smallest detail. She has worked out the house and its interior in 3D, and the design has been revamped four times. As a Spatial Design student, she could do this designing as part of her curriculum. Thanks to her studies, she has developed a keen eye for arranging spaces.

No student dorm

The student currently still lives with her parents in Bunnik, a village southwest of Utrecht. ‘I didn't want to live in student housing. I live in a green area, close to HKU, and still comfortably with my parents. I’m lucky with that.’ Femke grew up on a farm that has been inhabited by her family since the 19th century. The tiny house is located on the surrounding land, but it can be relocated later to another green area in the Utrecht region. The HKU student is the youngest of three and shared a room with her older sister until she was fourteen. ‘A good preparation for a tiny house,’ she laughs. ‘Sharing such a small space together.’

Housing communities

The Spatial Design course involves designing spaces; from interventions in an area to playing with the interaction between people and their surroundings. Thinking about the use of spaces has thus become second nature to Femke. Her current project is a concept for housing communities for people of different ages. Ideally, she would like to see elderly and young people living partially together. She has designed a puzzle model that allows residents to create their own community. In this way, the HKU student wants to do her part in providing better care for the elderly. Her face lights up as she talks about the meaning and added value that a living community can offer to the elderly. Investigating and solving social issues is clearly her thing.

Studying at HKU

Femke chose HKU based on her emotions. ‘For me, the atmosphere at a university is very important. I want to feel safe at school and not get intimidated. I had a good feeling about HKU, and that was the most important thing for me.’ Choosing the Bachelor Spatial Design was easy: designing spaces simply appealed to her. ‘The programme has a broad scope and you get a lot of freedom; that suits me well. I want to be seen as a social designer, but one of my fellow students profiles herself as an autonomous artist, for example. Ultimately, it's about how you want to position yourself as a designer.’