The RACV Tiny Home

Design, Ideas - by Open Journal

The RACV Tiny Home has been designed to high specifications that cleverly maximise its efficiency through optimum roof angles, a north facing deck and slot windows in what is designed to be its southern elevation.

The future development of inner urban environments and community hubs is seeing a definite shift away from two things that have previously defined the Australian way of life – the single-family home and motor vehicle ownership. Whilst cars will ever remain valid to a degree, growing numbers of millennials and empty nesters are being drawn to the convenience of car share programs on an as-needed basis rather than opting for private-use vehicles. Urban developments now commonly embrace the provision of nearby fleet cars and offer solid public transport solutions within community hubs that are ticking residential amenity boxes in a highly relevant and culturally significant way.

As a society, we are redefining our work/life culture to fit into an evolving model of home life. Less cars on the road, more demand for inner urban apartments, a blurring of lines between the workplace and the home place…these are all major factors that contribute to the policies and services of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) who have been noticing a warning in motor vehicle engagement, predominantly in younger demographics.

In an effort to ensure the continued provision of services to its clients – a vast portion of Australians – the RACV recently approached Peter Maddison of Maddison Architects with a proposal for a collaboration to experiment with a newly recognised growth market – motorhomes. What began as a conversation to establish a digital campaign to herald the many benefits of small footprint, affordable, transportable housing, ultimately blossomed into the design and construction of a physical prototype of a tiny home that has the potential to provide housing that is highly conducive to today’s property market and residential culture.

The RACV Tiny Home, a highly engineered and fully transportable home, packs a huge amount of amenity into its 9.5 tonnes and 2.5m x 7m footprint. With the ability to operate completely off-grid if desired the home can be placed just about anywhere and still offers extremely complex and high-end inclusions. Its streamlined design, cutting-edge technology and astoundingly considered specifications massively challenge the way we currently view our domestic environments.

Debuting at Open House Melbourne in July, the RACV Tiny Home is now fulfilling its destiny – hitched to the back of a truck it is touring rural areas to bring awareness to the many who will no doubt see this as an extremely viable way to dip a toe into the property market without forgoing cutting-edge amenity, highly appealing aesthetics, and clever design.

The RACV Tiny Home folds down into a cubic box that can travel on the back of a truck at highway speeds.

With voice-activated low LED lights, security camera’s, smoke detectors, smart TV, window furnishings and more, the RACV Tiny Home sets entirely new standards for motorhomes in a beautifully unassuming fashion.

Every corner and inch of the interior space of the tiny home has been used. A central kitchen area is compact and multifunctional with storage built into the bench seating. The bathroom and bedroom areas bookend the interior with material choices considerate of aesthetics, durability, cost and function.

The energy efficiency of the RACV Tiny Home is unparalleled in homes of this nature. The Envirowalk Mesh on the exterior hides grey and black water tanks whilst doubling as a statement sun shelter at the entrance of the home when folded out.