In 1975, the average Canadian home took up approximately 1,000 square feet of space, and by 2010, that figure had doubled. In addition to the substantial growth in the size of Canadian homes, recent research shows that Canadians spend more income on housing than almost anyone else on the planet.
One solution for addressing this overuse of space and money is to downsize living space—which doesn’t necessarily mean that living spaces will be downgraded. That’s because CAD professionals can accomplish a lot with very little. In fact, according to many experts, tiny homes are becoming a very popular trend.
Continue reading to discover how CAD professionals can design ideal living spaces that are both affordable and take up very little space.
1. Students Pursuing CAD Training Can Design Affordable Tiny Homes After Graduation
In many parts of Canada, housing affordability is a major issue. In fact, falling oil prices have affected Alberta’s housing market specifically, and housing prices in Vancouver and Toronto have soared over the past decade or so. One way this issue can be broached is by re-evaluating the ways in which we envision traditional homes. And of course, this is an area where professionals who are equipped with quality CAD training can certainly shine.
CAD training includes in-depth courses on everything from construction materials to estimating and quantity take-offs. That means that once you graduate from your program, you’ll know how to best modify a design to fit a particular budget or requirement—which can certainly come in handy when designing tiny homes.
For example, one project known as Rural Home challenged designers to create small affordable houses. With only $20,000 at their disposal for creation, building, and construction costs, the Rural Home team was tasked with creating homes that can provide shelter on a budget. The team relied on materials donated by the community as well as volunteers to cut building costs and make small-scale shelters for those in need. The Rural Home project is a member of the Autodesk Foundation, which ‘invests in the most impactful people and organizations using the power of design to create a better world.’
Receiving CAD training is a great opportunity to put more knowledge in your head, while perhaps one day helping to put roofs over others!
2. CAD College Grads Can Get Involved in the New Micro Hotel Movement
It’s not just homes that are benefiting from the tiny design craze. Hotels have also taken notice of the movement to downsize living spaces. For instance, Hotel Hive in Washington, D.C. is currently being constructed and will contain rooms that are an average size of 250 square feet. Prices for these rooms will cost $125 to $150 per night.
The design has been noted to have been a challenge, and one that was surmounted with the help of CAD software and CAD professionals. They relied on the versatile software to figure out the best way to pack all 87 rooms into the smallest possible space without compromising style or utility.
Once you’ve completed your CAD program, you might consider seeking work with teams that design hotels, as the knowledge and skills of trained design experts are often needed for these projects.
3. By Designing Small, You Can Make a Difference in Your Community
Once you complete your CAD courses, you can find work in engineering firms, architectural offices, CAD-specific workgroups, and much more. You might even want to follow in the footsteps of some CAD professionals and opt for educating your community.
For example, Project H is a program that aims to teach young students from grades 6 through 12 how to design and build various projects that benefit their own local community. Their latest initiative seeks to address the housing crisis through the design and building of tiny homes for the homeless population. By empowering local kids and teens, and even teaching them a few basic CAD skills, CAD professionals help inspire new generations to discover creative solutions to complex problems.
At Project H, the tiny homes are designed using the latest CAD software and are approximately 7 by 16 feet large. This is an example of how design courses can provide students with the skills needed to not only transform their lives and their careers but can also give them the tools to transform their communities and help those in need.
Want to find out how CAD college can expand your career?
Contact Digital School to learn more about our training programs or to speak to an advisor.
