TINY HOUSE, BIG CHALLENGES
CONSTRUCTION
The construction process has taught us all valuable tangible skills, including project management, workflow, and how to frame a wood-frame house from floor to roof, or in our case, trailer to roof.
SMART FEATURES
The Nomad is driven by research and innovation. We have employed a number of smart features and building technologies that are helping to revolutionize the industry.
CURRENT RESEARCH
The Nomad is the perfect structure to use as a living lab, allowing us to test new tech, and record real-time usage data so we can see how a physical building responds to the environment.
MEET THE TEAM
We are a diverse team of individuals from different backgrounds. The Nomad has brought our talents and skills together to create a cohesive team and an exciting project.
Construction began in the summer of 2017, marked by the arrival of the trailer bed. Over the summer, students were led by a certified contractor in the framing and construction of the Nomad. Everyone had a hand in the construction, from framing the floor, to sheathing the walls, and raising the rafters.
No project is complete without its fair share of unique challenges. On such a small building scale, these difficulties tend to be be magnified but they are not insurmountable. Click the button below for more information about the construction process and the challenges conquered.
The Northern Nomad has provided our team with a truly unique school project. The house is primarily a research tool for its students and has been outfitted with new and interesting technology to aid in this research. Our goal is to help redefine and refine the building industry and create healthier living environments for us all, at the scale of the home and the planet.
Our work is geared towards generating maximum comfort within sustainable means. Click the button below to learn more about our smart features in depth.
Current Research
Despite the small scale of the Nomad, the potential for furthering research and continued education is huge. There are many systems that are currently being tested, with more ideas and concepts being configured on a continual basis. The size makes this structure perfect for implementing systems that are prohibitively expensive to test on a larger building, and allows us to get a sense of how a real structure responds in a northern climate compared to the models that have been built to simulate its performance.
As a living lab, the Nomad will serve as a testing ground for Carleton students for years to come. Click the button to find out more about the research that’s currently being conducted by members of our team!
Our team has grown and evolved since 2016, when the idea of the Northern Nomad was first conceived. Since then, we have brought in students from various disciplines to help create the house that stands today. Without everyone’s invaluable contributions, the Nomad would only exist in our imaginations.
The students hail from Carleton’s Faculty of Engineering and Design under the guidance of Professor Scott Bucking. Click the button below to learn more about each student’s individual skills and role.