The Northern Nomad Tiny House in Ottawa

Have you every thought about owning or building your own tiny house in Canada?

The Northern Nomad is the first Net-Zero water and energy tiny house in Ottawa, Ontario. What does that mean? Well, it’s a home that can sustain its self on grid and off grid. It has the capability to recycle water through rain and conserve/transform energy through integrated technology and solar panels.

This past year I had the privilege to work with an amazing team of students from the Department of Civil Engineering and Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Birth out of a collaboration within multiple disciplinary, the Northern Nomad is a net zero tiny house that is driven by research and innovation. 

My involvement with the Northern Nomad was to design a tiny bathroom.

Bathrooms much as kitchens are unlike any other spaces in the home, as the design process invariably requires critical and strategic thinking. There are many factors that must be considered when designing a bathroom, let alone a “tiny” one. Thus, for the Northern Nomad bathroom, the overall design process required extended knowledge to source for appropriate materials that are moisture resistant, waterproof, and sustainable. Moreover, the greatest challenge for this bathroom was the weight restriction. Conventional tiling and glass weren’t an option; therefore, the search for alternative bathroom walls and a pony wall has been the ultimate “job”. However, with an amazing multi-disciplinary team and the support of amazing supplies, we were able to design a one of a kind space.