Matti Kuittinen's 365-square-foot residence is a call to action to reduce the carbon footprint of home building.
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As an associate professor of sustainable construction at Aalto University in Finland, architect Matti Kuittinen is invigorated by the challenges that his contrasting interests present. He researches the construction industry's effects on climate change, but designs buildings, too; how could he imagine one that wasn't so burdensome on the planet?
In a recent experiment, Kuittinen turned to recycled materials, building a prefabricated 365-square-foot tiny home he refers to as Shadow. "Fifty-six percent of it by weight is recycled," he says. "This means it has less than half of a typical home's carbon footprint, and around twenty percent of the material consumption of a typical detached house."