In the shadows of much larger construction projects like the Science and Engineering Innovation and Research Building and residence hall-dining hall-parking garage projects on the west side of campus, a smaller development is taking shape that molds student minds as they head out into the professional world.
Students from the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs are building tiny houses as their senior design projects on Davis Street, between Greek Row Boulevard and UTA Boulevard.
How small?
One house is only 360 square feet and the other dwarfs the first coming in at 390 square feet. In their coursework, faculty and students are calling the structures micro houses.
"I've always wanted to do this kind of project with the students," said Brad McCorkle, a UTA architecture lecturer for the last two years and an alumnus. "It's the first time UTA has done something like this. We hope to sell these two units once they're completed and fund future projects for Parallel Construction."
Parallel Construction is the name of CAPPA's design/build program, now in its fourth semester, offering students the opportunity to literally get their hands dirty, as they design and build projects.
McCorkle said the tiny houses have received some interest from non-profit organizations and private individuals who have odd-sized residential lots where structures like these make sense.
Tiny houses are the rage, due in some part to cable television shows that have promoted the trend. HGTV has Tiny House Builders, Tiny House Hunters and Tiny House, Big Living. FYI, the cable network, started Tiny House Nation and Tiny House World. Other networks have run several specials on the phenomena.
Click here to read more about the tiny house project.
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