the a-frame

The a-frame began in 2015 as a collaboration with Sawhorse Revolution, the Seattle nonprofit that pairs high school students with professional carpenters and architects to build community projects. We designed it as a temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and a team of students built it in about a week.

Tiny home villages in the Seattle area typically offer room for a desk, a sofa, and bunk beds in a single room. The A-Frame was the only form that could fit a 120 square foot footprint with a sleeping loft under the height limit at the time. Moving the beds up into the loft opened the floor below for a proper kitchenette, a closet, a table, and a small sofa. We insulated on the outside of the sheathing, so the walls don’t take interior space. A single parent and child sleep in the loft, and the lower level has room for a queen bed if a larger family needs it.

Since then, we’ve adapted it for other uses and revisited adding modules for outdoor storage or a greenhouse. We’re making the design available as an off-grid cabin, a backyard office or studio, or a play structure. Permit rules for small structures depend on where you live and how you use it.