Introduction

My current idea is tailored to my skills and knowledge in data analytics, visualization, and design. I plan on researching sustainable housing– more specifically what goes into building a truly sustainable tiny home (costs, materials, etc.), and the best ways in which to design it. I plan on researching, designing and modeling the house in a 3D software program. During the senior showcase I would like to display a replica, small or full-scale, along with my data and research, and data visualizations.

I’ve always had a passion for real estate, floor planning, and interior designing. With everything going on about raising awareness about global warming and sustainability, as well as a potential movement towards leading a more sustainable lifestyle, I figured this project would fit right in! As I see it, global warming has been a rising problem that has recently been given lots of media attention. Why am I personally inspired by this idea though? Because I care about our home. I care for not only my future, but the future of others, and for the future of many generations after ours. I strongly believe that by making lifestyle changes, we can make a helpful impact. When coming up with an idea for this project, I wanted to pick a project that encompassed my IMM and Financial background, and this project will not only allow me to showcase my knowledge and skills in both fields, but allows me to speak on and enlighten people on a topic I consider holds great importance.

The target audience that I am focused on at the moment will mainly be seniors, grad students, and professors from TCNJ (demographic target), whom I aim to make more aware of homes with sustainable possibilities. As they soon will be graduating and/or are looking for a place to stay and/or wish to move to, it is the perfect time to teach them about this side of real estate they could invest in instead of a traditional house. My audience, are people who are environmentally focused, people who really care about sustainable living (psychographic). When it comes to this type of segmentation then, I feel like any class level (financial classes) could be my potential customers. It is one’s personality, lifestyle, and attitudes that weigh more here. What are their values? Would they be willing to downsize their current living quarters, to live in a more environmentally friendly home? Are they extreme environmentalists? Do they like design and looking at different designs? Are they the type to plant flowers and gardens or hike nature trails? Do they lead a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle? Again, would they consider living in a sustainable home?  

I think that a lot of people should care or at least be interested in my chosen topic, since this is the world we will be living in for (hopefully) many years to come. It is my future goal (maybe years after graduation) to have larger corporations/companies purchase my designs and use them to design homes that are better for the environment (or at least less toxic). I believe global warming is a real problem, and any little thing I—and others—can do to reduce it, should definitely be done.

Context

My project will inform people of what it means to be truly sustainable, and either confirm and disconfirm their prior notions on the topic. In doing so, I am also hoping to combine others’ research from the field. For the stylistic part of my project, I want to combine the best of all other designers’ research I see.

Of course, I am also hoping to create a new and improved design and present this, adding this improvement to the field. My main goal however, is to help raise awareness of the work that is going on in this field/sector/market/area, and bring to people’s attention the sustainable housing market.

Technical Strategy

To start this process, I will first will be working on the researching portion. This includes research of programs/materials to use for this project. I bring my knowledge of retrieving, analyzing, and visualizing data. I already know that I want to use AI to create my floor plan. More programs will be listed as I speak with professionals in the field and conduct my research. There is also no doubt that I will be further developing my current skills during this process.

As for skills I will need to learn from scratch…I will need to learn how to use 3D modeling software to model the house. Assuming that I will be building the full-scale model, I will need to learn how to structure and build a home! Where do I put the beams? What type of materials should I use? How do I join the materials together to create a sturdy structure? I will need to find answers to these and many more questions. There is much to learn 🙂

Aesthetic Strategy

I want my project to capture the true meaning of sustainability and to emanate an environmentally-friendly atmosphere. I want the project to feel stylish and elegant– high end, high class, if you will, with the underlying knowledge that everything in the structure is ‘helping’ the environment. I want people to want to live in a house like this, and to understand that the size of your house doesn’t necessarily matter. I want them to think about the environmental benefits and affects. You can still live high class in a tiny home, while also helping the environment.

But overall, this project is supposed to be informative, about how housing and our living styles can be made sustainable and hold less of a negative impact on the environment. I will be promoting the move towards being more environmentally conscious and introducing eco-friendly living quarters to those who maybe did not know about this option. Getting people from the emotional angle, is the best way to influence a change in their ideas and open their minds. Therefore, I’d like my project to have a natural, warming, clean, homey, and welcoming feel as well.