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Architecture Student in China Builds 75 Sq. Ft. Tiny House


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When an architecture student in China became frustrated with his dorm room he decided to design and build his own 75 sq. ft. tiny house.

It’s a micro home that somehow packs a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and patio. Hard to imagine at just 75-square-feet.

Student Designs and Builds Micro House

To me the design is a mashup of several tiny houses I’ve seen around the Internet.

It’s got the interior wood that I really like. And most of the furniture transforms much like in many RVs and even like some of the transforming apartments we’ve seen lately.

But unlike many RVs this micro house is all about quality. See for yourself below…

75 SQ FT Tiny House in China

China Student's Tiny House 75 sq ft

See the rest of the photos of this tiny house below:

More Photos of this Tiny House

Student's 75 sq ft Micro House Tour

Photos by Xiaotian via Techeblog

What do you think about this micro house? Is it functional enough for you to live in? What if you were a student?

If you enjoyed this tiny house by an architecture student in China “Like” and share using the buttons below and share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below or blog comments even lower. Thanks!

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 84 comments… add one }
  • Holly
    April 24, 2013, 10:41 am

    Wow thanks for sharing. I love that skylight!. I love that it has more space than I expect for a 75 square foot home.

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 12:58 pm

      I know right! Glad you liked it Holly.

      • Cyndi Raper
        April 28, 2016, 11:58 pm

        Alex, PLEASE put me in touch with this young genius as I would like to pay him to design the interior of my 8’x16′ tiny house!!

  • 2BarA
    April 24, 2013, 11:54 am

    Beautifully designed and executed! I’m sure this student will become a great architect.

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 12:55 pm

      I agree! Thanks

    • rich
      April 26, 2013, 12:10 am

      very well designed; great variety of scale and space. He’s thinking in 3D and it’s great.

    • Mayo Yanlob
      September 28, 2020, 9:47 pm

      The walls look very thin. Just wondering… but how is it insulated? Do they face the home towards the sun on colder days?

  • April 24, 2013, 11:58 am

    I agree, perfect for a student who hasn’t accumulated a lot of stuff yet.

    • April 24, 2013, 2:43 pm

      I hope he doesn´t accumulate in the future! I sure don´t want to.

      • Rich
        April 26, 2013, 12:13 am

        I wish more people thought like you Lucas 🙂

    • Holly B
      April 25, 2013, 3:17 pm

      Well I think part of the point of tiny living is to avoid having a lot of stuff and have a better experience instead. I think he is doing just that! It is pretty awesome.

  • LaMar
    April 24, 2013, 12:00 pm

    Nice wood interior work!
    I wouldn’t exactly call it a house but more of an interior design concept for a house. A house would include solid walls with window and door placement and a roof structure that fits the interior architecture.
    China with it’s massive population like many countries and cities like NY are looking for more small house and apartment floor plans and more built in adaptable furniture so there is more interest everywhere around the world. I was contacted by a Japanese student that was writing a book about his design and wanted some ideas. In return he included my cabin in his book and gave me credit for helping him. The Asian culture has a long history of living in smaller spaces and using every available inch and are more inclined to small spaces than the Western culture at present but that will change as people see the financial and environmental benefits of smaller simpler living.

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 12:59 pm

      Thanks LaMar always an honor to have you share your thoughts/insights here with us.

  • George
    April 24, 2013, 12:10 pm

    What is the windowed box for in view #10, and one would HAVE to look inside to find the reason for SEVERAL squared off places…I like it!

  • April 24, 2013, 12:14 pm

    Nice. My wife and I lived in china a couple years and were students. On campus it’s common for 6 or 8 students in 120 or so sq ft…so 75 sq ft for one guy would be massive! 🙂

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 1:00 pm

      Thanks for sharing Adam.. I didn’t know that!

  • George
    April 24, 2013, 12:26 pm

    I have already subscribed, but where are my 6 free tiny house plans?

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 12:55 pm

      Ok- I sent you an email! 😀

  • George
    April 24, 2013, 12:34 pm

    What are the outside dimensions of this 75 square foot tiny house?
    EVEN dimensions don’t give this total… like 8×10, nor 7×10, nor 7×11…So…what are they, 8×9?

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 1:02 pm

      Not sure George.. I wouldn’t worry about it as 75 sq. ft. is probably an “almost accurate” estimate anyway. I appreciate you trying to figure that out though. Could be based on interior dimensions, too.

      • Saga
        April 29, 2016, 11:17 am

        I would assume is 7 sq meters. Maybe at 3,5 x 2 meter.

        Since this is outside USA…
        That would equal 75,34 sqft.

  • April 24, 2013, 12:45 pm

    This space is awesome. Way more thought went into it than material. I love that ratio.

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 1:02 pm

      Thanks Jay – glad you liked it and always honored when you stop by here. 🙂

  • Alexis
    April 24, 2013, 1:07 pm

    I have been thinking a lot about designing a staircase that also functions as storage in the way that is illustrated here. I wonder if anyone knows how to contact this student? I’d love to see design plans for something like this.

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 2:39 pm

      Cool! Thanks Alexis.

    • Susan
      April 27, 2013, 2:39 pm

      You mean like a tansu step chest?

  • Clyde
    April 24, 2013, 1:13 pm

    This house was probably designed in metric units. 7 m^2 = 75 sq. ft. approximately. So the outside dimensions could be 2 m x 3.5 m or 2.5 m x 2.8 m. 2.4 m x 2.9 m = 6.96 m^2 or 74.9 sq.ft. = 6ft x 9.5 ft.

    It’s a clever design, but there is no really comfortable place to sit. There are no backrests at a good angle for sitting. This could be mitigated by pillows or cushions. It may be because I’m American, but sitting on dead flat horizontal surfaces with no back support grows uncomfortable quickly.

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 2:38 pm

      Thanks Clyde! Great points.

    • Rebecca
      July 31, 2014, 1:09 am

      Completely 3d thinking, he does not have 75 square feet, he has at least 700 cubic feet. Wow. As far as sitting on dead flat surfaces… I had a Chinese boss that thought chairs were torture racks.

      If I look at my “modest” 480 square feet and push it into 4800 cubic feet…. I am still too big. I am 60 but think I might practice sitting on a flat surface. I sit straight on chairs without leaning on a backrest. Limber up and develop your muscles. Little kids do it all the time.

  • April 24, 2013, 1:17 pm

    This is fantastic. I WILL have my own tiny house one day!!

  • Lionel
    April 24, 2013, 1:41 pm

    highly intelligent and convincing design. Lot of intricated solutions (kitchen, bathroom, loft, stair, washer, and multi uses living) working well all together. Skylight is a must where located. OK for student. For couple, siamese installation (side by side units) with commun living may give a luxurious 150s.f! BRAVO! c’est une réussite!
    p.s could be useful now to compare cubage of tiny houses

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 2:37 pm

      Thanks Lionel!

  • Elizabeth
    April 24, 2013, 2:00 pm

    Wow! I am impressed with this design. Very creative.

  • Erik Markus
    April 24, 2013, 2:54 pm

    A Tri-level Tiny house. Wow. That’s so… suburban sounding.

    It seems comfortable. I think I would need… a fourth wall (helps to hold in heat and repel bugs and intruders), a slanted roof (helps repel weather and off-duty Santas), and a washer that that isn’t cardboard and thus would hold up with water, instead of delaminating.

    Actually, a unit like this seems like a module. Like, if you had a large open space and wanted to easily subdivide it. You could order units like this and move them around with a forklift. Think- dead mall revamp.

    • Alex
      April 25, 2013, 11:40 am

      Thanks Erik great thoughts!

    • Ralph Sly
      November 22, 2013, 3:15 pm

      Eric, I came across a site that has that happening. Sorry, I don’t have the URL a while back but they were small pods, not as well thought out as this lad did but nice. He has this totally self contained with shower and all, the ones I seen didn’t have that. The students who rented them used a shower set up in the warehouse.

    • Gigi
      April 28, 2016, 9:41 pm

      Erik Marcus, your last paragraph is genius. I am a big fan of recycling and re-purposing. As you drive around the country you see abandoned strip malls everywhere. This “module” could be replicated and installed in such structures, as per your suggestion. These new places would constitute small hamlets and provide the social interaction many people crave.

  • Maryl
    April 24, 2013, 3:34 pm

    This is a BRILLIANT design! Kudos! =)

  • Garth
    April 24, 2013, 3:41 pm

    It’s a very creative use of vertical space; but I wonder if it would be too tall to two in the States. Any idea of where he would have permission to put it?

    • Bill Burgess
      January 28, 2014, 1:38 pm

      The time is now. Brad at Tiny Texas Houses is starting a project to build this size and tilt them into a container for shipping. These( in non wind areas) could fit into a 20′ or two in a 40’…I am thinking a 38′ high rise could happen…Some younger agile person needs to get in touch with this designer and explore the shipping angle as well as the use of containers standing on end designs..

      • January 28, 2014, 6:25 pm

        I’m working on a “container standing on end design”, only 20′, 40 is a bit high I think.

        • Bill Burgess
          January 28, 2014, 7:59 pm

          True Rob…But I did say wind was a factor…And I was thinking maybe a community…imagine a series of four standing containers attached at one corner with an X brace at the 20′ and 40′ areas…. Shipping would be the key..They could be shipped, tilted and assembled with five truck loads just about anywhere there are roads. It’s an Idea…I still like TTH’s shipping Idea with little houses in containers.

        • January 28, 2014, 8:56 pm

          Yes, when I say 40′ is a bit high I mean “for me” because I’m a DIY type and I don’t like to involve engineers. I feel comfortable working on a 20-footer vertically, at 40′ I’d need to employ an engineer.

          My design has two 20s horizontal and one vertical as a sort of “lookout tower” that I can sit in with a beer and watch the world go by. But I’m a great believer in passive cooling (I live in a hot climate) and I reckon the “tower” can also be used to suck air from the main house which would be replaced by cooler air from underneath or even underground. By organising the cladding of the tower to generate convection currents this should be possible.

          If you have any designs for your 4-tower idea I’d love to have a look.

          BTW, your website link is broken.

  • RevW
    April 24, 2013, 3:57 pm

    Way better than a dorm room or “student apartment”!! I hope he got academic credit for it too.

    • Alex
      April 24, 2013, 4:31 pm

      That’s for sure!

  • Hunter
    April 25, 2013, 11:08 am

    People knock the younger generation, but i have to tell you, the world needs this kids brain power x10. This type of thinking is pure genius. Very well done, and execution of a through thought process. Kidos to the young designer/ inventer. If minds were all gathered together there is nothing that couldn’t be accomplished world wide. He makes me proud for the future.

    • Erik Markus
      April 25, 2013, 4:47 pm

      “People knock the younger generation” ?

      In the US, I’m frequently “knocking” the OLDer generation. The over 65er’s.
      As a 46 y.o., I can’t say much bad about the younger people. I can offer them my sympathies for the mess they have to straighten out because of the older generations who think they are above question.

      In fact, when I think of those older generations it is typically in these very terms: “What were they thinking”, “Are they blind?”, “do they realize how corrupt that is?”, “republican, really?(lol)”, “Superficial much?”, “people, bigger isn’t better, the koch brothers are not leaders, they are criminals, and fox (not) news is propaganda and not a something to be taken seriously”…. .
      I’m amazed at the things the younger generations put up with.

      I also see hope.
      Now, to scrape the gum of fraud and corruption off the shoe of society that, is the older generation, so the younger people can hopefully, clean up our society and not be inhibited by a greed-based, materialistic, out-dated mode of thinking.

      • Hunter
        April 27, 2013, 7:43 am

        Erik, I’m surprised at the anger you hold inside. News people write about all the bad things in the younger society thats coming up. It’s everywhere. WE the older generation ( the ones WITH brains) have learned to “read between the lines” of news print and tv. The “kid” in korea is wanting to blow the world to hell, yet the “kid” in china uses his life to try to do “good” for people, so there you have it. good vs. bad. see what i mean? not all younger people or all older people can be lumped together. Every one is an individule. It’s what you do with what you’ve got, that makes the world go ’round. when people say “if you don’t like what’s going on then do something to change it” that’s what it’s all about. Making changes to make things better for all. I don’t want to live like the book 1984-so i and many other older generation people have been doing that all along. One tiny house at a time. Bringing about recycling, no one had been doing that in the 50’s and 60’s.people in the older generation have been doing what we could to help this planet survive, for you and even the younger generation. But, the problem is, not all people will get up off the couch and help us do something about what we don’t like and want to change. that’s why it takes so long to accomplish anything here in the USA. people talk, talk, and very few “DO” help. I hope more people will “DO”, then changes will come sooner rather than later.

      • January 28, 2014, 6:28 pm

        ” so the younger people can hopefully, clean up our society and not be inhibited by a greed-based, materialistic, out-dated mode of thinking.”

        Good luck with that, any reason the latest batch of humans will be any different the 1000 batches before?

  • Molly
    April 25, 2013, 4:14 pm

    I love it! It has a full bathroom, stairs, good counter space in the kitchen, and laundry! If you count the stairs as seating you could have quite a few people over. Personally, I would add several feet to have a bed on the first floor, then use the loft to paint.

    • Bill Burgess
      January 28, 2014, 1:47 pm

      Molly a small container tilted up on end has the same foot print but is 5’to 7′ taller with that much room…Imagine a container coming to your lot and this rolling out and tilting up on your slab or piers…Now go to Tiny Texas Houses and see what is happening with recycled 100+ year old materials and start dreaming.

  • Jan
    April 26, 2013, 12:52 pm

    Great for a senior, too, who wants to downsize, if they are able to climb stairs. Love it!

  • April 27, 2013, 2:08 pm

    Love this and would have saved me from some serious roommate disagreements. I would have loved to have had one when I was a student. He did a great job. Still more than enough room for a friend or two.

  • Barbara
    April 28, 2013, 5:26 pm

    Alex! This is REALLY nice! Thank you so much for sharing it! Have you posted the plans for this, somewhere? I have been thinking about something like this for the longest time, but have not found anything, until now! I would love these plans! Thank you.

    • Barb
      April 29, 2013, 11:07 pm

      I just loved this student’s ingenuity–he had a need (and want) & he solved it! In a marvelous way–sleeping, studying, cooking, bathing & even laundry! I, too, have thought of a tiny staircase that was double duty. If there was a space to put these tiny houses (isn’t that always the problem?) I”ll bet he could build & sell these to other students or sell the plans….he may have just created a new occupation for himself. Thanks Alex!

      • Alex
        April 30, 2013, 10:08 am

        Glad you loved it Barb! Thanks!

  • John
    May 6, 2013, 12:44 am

    Are the plans posted? Do you know how to contact him? It has stairs so my cat can come to bed with me:) One of the biggest drawbacks to most the tiny house plans post on this sight is they use ladders instead of stairs. My cat can not climb ladders and I have trouble with them too.

  • kat
    July 20, 2013, 1:23 am

    I knew if I typed in ” asian tiny home design” I would get something I really want…and wow! Few mods, while that bathroom sink is a beauty…, rather storage…and screen on the lift up roof, and the open to the world is great, not so much when maybe (because I’d want it on wheels too) if need be in a Wally world parking lot. But the rest…oh my! I don’t need a couch when I can have pillows… few more shelves in random empty space… I don’t see any outlets except behind the beloved coffee maker… hmmm…gots to have the outlets for some music and computing and well, laundry machine…. otherwise, I would move in, in a hot minute….goodbye stuff…hello life….(road worthy of course 🙂 )

  • Eugene
    January 28, 2014, 12:49 pm

    it looks a wee bit too open for me where is the walls?

    • Rebecca
      July 31, 2014, 1:23 am

      My take on the open wall is that the shade and deck close to form the fourth wall.

  • Bill Burgess
    January 28, 2014, 1:58 pm

    The time is now. Brad at Tiny Texas Houses is starting a project to build this size and tilt them into a container for shipping. These( in non wind areas) could fit into a 20′ or two in a 40’…I am thinking a 38′ high rise could happen…Some younger agile person needs to get in touch with this designer and explore the shipping angle as well as the use of containers standing on end designs..Alex you are elected…This has been put online for a reason Mate, TTH and all the way in China another great mind need to meld. How much of the worlds homeless can this help? The second home is now out of reach for the middle class(an endangered species) but with this format it could happen again.

  • Linda
    January 28, 2014, 9:09 pm

    So usual to see Chinese people studying. I’m an American and it disappoints me to see that most Americans are not concerned with learning much. I think if I built a tiny house I’d have to store my books in ALL the nooks and crannies… and even then, I’d have to build a separate room to store the rest of them. I study all the time; it’s a hobby.

  • Katrina
    February 3, 2014, 10:18 am

    The concept and execution of this tiny home is fabulous. The commenter from Facebook who mentioned that this home would not be feasible for the homeless is not looking at the potential for using reclaimed or recycled materials or that several of these with exterior walls could be built as a collective series of units. I do like the idea and use of space – with the stairs to the sleeping loft as additional storage and seating, a combination washer and dryer, this tiny house is very functional. If I had had this space as a college student, I would now be an architect looking to design more of these spaces instead of a teacher trying to teach high school students how to have an appreciation for small/tiny homes. I live in a section of the country where it is considered outre` to not have more house than an average family can live in. I mean, really who needs 2,000 square feet of living space!!

    • Lionel
      February 3, 2014, 9:49 pm

      Who needs 2,000 square feet of living space! Excellent and fundamental question, Katrina! But how less is optimal? This chinese student design is brilliant, for sure. But 75 sq. ft., really? In this design, the net living space is round 6 feet by 7 feet. C’est très petit! Imagine a wall now in front of it. It is not shown in these pictures… You may understand why. Otherwise you’re right: it is splendid thing to experiment with students.

      • AL-APL
        March 13, 2014, 8:07 pm

        Je pense que cela dépend de la personne…cela peut convenir à certaines personnes et pas à d’autres. Question de personnalité et de priorités. (“Chacun voit midi à sa porte” comme on dit en Normandie !;)) Il n’y a pas de “surface idéale” qui convient à tout le monde. Encore, cela dépend de la personne, de la famille, etc. For example, I think my family could live very well in quite a small space, but that doesn’t mean that all families/people could or should do so. Personally, I think we should let go of certain minimum “requirements” (I’m thinking of codes & of social norms) because many people could happily live in smaller spaces. At the same time, I don’t think we should “force” people into smaller (…or bigger) spaces! I say, “To each his own!” Merci & bonsoir ! 😉 🙂

        • Gigi
          April 28, 2016, 9:49 pm

          Vous avez raison, AL-APL. A chacun son goût.

    • Dominique
      May 2, 2016, 2:54 am

      Love the staircase! Seating & storage… very clever & beautiful. The whole space is gorgeous.

  • Bruce CG Gallagher
    July 30, 2014, 6:05 pm

    Brilliant….thanks for the post Alex

  • Brian
    July 30, 2014, 7:48 pm

    This is quite superb, while done before (Cube house in the UK), So much thought has gone into this design. I love it, so congratulations on thinking outside and inside the box. Thanks for sharing Alex. Cheers from Australia.

  • megan
    July 31, 2014, 10:34 am

    Does this home have a wall to close up the house or is it always wide open? From the open side you see it looks right into the shower at the bottom left. Ummm….privacy? 🙂

  • hunter
    July 31, 2014, 12:03 pm

    Megan,
    take a very close look inside the shower. there seems to be a shade or blind held by cord at the very top of the glass wall. also a handle on the bottom of the glass wall perhaps so the window could be opened by sliding it up? hard to tell. In china a “court yard’ is quite common, so i think that is part of “opening up” the inside to feel more spacious. also that big window to let in a lot of light. with the stairs and even room for a washer and full shower, this has to be the best thought out home ever. 75 sq ft seems small by our standards but 6 people to 120 sq ft is standard in dorms in china? yes this house/ home is small but a person has the one thing people crave in china…privacy. peace and quiet in his own personal space. I love how he has used every inch available for something useful. i wish plans were available for this unit. I’d buy in a heart beat.

  • Daniel Duong
    May 28, 2015, 10:07 am

    What is the name of the student?
    May I get in contact with him?
    I want one of these.

  • Dick
    April 28, 2016, 4:26 pm

    Something I’ve always wondered about was brought up again with this house–the bathroom. First, I do not necessarily favor the European “wet bath” concept; I see sensitive body parts bumping into things while showering :). But the real thing is…all that wood. Even if a TH bathroom has a separate shower, the room can, and probably will, become nice and steamy during a shower. Is the wood somehow varnished or coated with polyurethane to avoid water damage?

    As for this design, I’ve seen it before, but can’t remember where. One year in college I had a single room which was probably no larger than 60-65 sf. No bathroom–go down the hall–no laundry–go to dorm laundry–no kitchen–can we say college food? This is great for what it is–a student domicile or a home for a single person.

  • David Scott
    April 28, 2016, 9:31 pm

    Okay, the stairs slide into the shelf unit, so the washer/dryer is not an issue. However, I have to wonder whether it is practical to have the sleep loft above the toilet/shower area. Wouldn’t there be issues with odors or humidity? Other than that, it’s a great design for a student, with the wall providing space for a huge computer monitor/television.

  • Dominique
    May 2, 2016, 2:22 am

    Love the staircase!

  • Kafir the Infidel Ù†
    October 13, 2016, 11:41 am

    No thank you. I’ll stick with my 2500 sqft house on half an acre….

  • Stanley Wells
    January 8, 2017, 1:45 pm

    Serious old school carpentry skills. More furniture than house!

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