Elementary School: Tiny Houses
DSGN-90006
Design and build your own tiny-house model!
The tiny-house movement is sweeping the country! Explore how and why people are building houses that take up a fraction of the space of a typical home, and then design and build your own tiny-house model. Students will learn about architecture, social responsibility and community as they envision and design their own tiny houses. They will use recycled and found materials to build scale models of their houses. We will explore concepts including sustainability, functionality and how to incorporate natural light into a house design. Students will practice math skills as they scale their models and workforce skills as they complete their projects within time constraints. To refine their communication skills, students will present their tiny houses to the class. The course offers an inspiring introduction for students interested in architecture and sustainable design.
The course is for students in fourth through fifth grade.
What you'll learn
- Explore what a tiny house is, how it benefits society and what design features it needs in different environments.
- Gain an understanding of the ideas inspiring the tiny-house movement.
- Understand what design features will allow tiny houses to withstand challenging environments.
- Build scale models of tiny houses using paper, cardboard and found materials.
- Envision a community for a neighborhood in Mexicali built entirely of natural and waste materials available at the site.
- Design an Accessory Dwelling Unit for San Diego neighborhoods to help address the housing crisis.
- Explore how we can make our cities better and more affordable through tiny living.
- Gain presentation experience by sharing your tiny house design with the class and discussing its features.
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
All class meetings held in-person according to published location, dates and times. Students may be expected to engage with course content online during the published course dates.
Textbooks:
No textbook required.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 6/29/2026
- 1st meeting mandatory
- Early enrollment advised
- No visitors permitted
- Pre-enrollment required
Note:
Schedule:
| Date | Day | Start | End | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/20/2026 | Mon | 9:00 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. | Room 515, Wangenheim Middle School, 9230 Gold Coast Dr, San Diego |
| 7/21/2026 | Tue | 9:00 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. | Room 515, Wangenheim Middle School, 9230 Gold Coast Dr, San Diego |
| 7/22/2026 | Wed | 9:00 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. | Room 515, Wangenheim Middle School, 9230 Gold Coast Dr, San Diego |
| 7/23/2026 | Thu | 9:00 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. | Room 515, Wangenheim Middle School, 9230 Gold Coast Dr, San Diego |
| 7/24/2026 | Fri | 9:00 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. | Room 515, Wangenheim Middle School, 9230 Gold Coast Dr, San Diego |
Instructor:
Trevor Stine
Earlier in his career, Trevor lived in the wilderness of Tennessee for two years as a wilderness counselor for adjudicated youths. In San Francisco, he managed four multi-million dollar philanthropic campaigns for the United Way of the Bay Area. He took numerous, long solo motorcycle journeys throughout Mexico, Central America, and the United States in order to undertake academic research and promote his international development organization.
Besides teaching at NewSchool of Architecture + Design, Trevor is the founder of Pangea Proxima, an international non-profit organization, focused on increasing access to education and health, while promoting sustainable building in developing nations. He also founded and is a co-partner of Evolution Maps, a mapping, and spatial analysis company, which promotes the work of small to mid-sized businesses, non-profits and local government entities.
Trevor has authored three published patents concerning biometric repositories and anti-identity theft solutions. He is also a member of the CASBA (California Straw Bale Builders Association).
