portable tiny house 'the coop' provides adaptable shelter within australian landscape

almo troup from trouthouse has designed ‘the coop’, a portable tiny house prototype that can be placed anywhere within nature, allowing users to enjoy the environment while staying protected. not intended as long stay accomodation, the project provides essential shelter, and is temporarily located in metung, australia. ‘the coop’ can be lifted by 3-4 people onto a standard 4 x 5 trailer for transport. the roof, floor, and wall panels can easily be unscrewed into flat pack form if storage or flatpack transport is necessary.

all images courtesy of almo troup

influenced by the tiny house movement, australian designer almo troup has used this project as his first exploration into self building, and small scale architecture. as a result, troup’s micro-pod has been designed to provide annexe sleeping, portable camping shelter, stage, meditation hut, or any other small structure use necessary. a deeply sloped ‘lid’ forms the roof of the tiny pod, and pivots simply to reshape the sheltered coop into an open canopy. struts and thin dowels support the roof, which is easily shiftable by a single user. translucent white polycarbonate roofing was chosen to clad the lid, providing a soft glow into the structure when the lid is closed. the hard slope of the lid faces the prevailing se winds off the gippsland lakes, scooping them off the structure.

35 x 70 timber framing was used to ensure the project was lightweight, with a 7 mm OSB board providing both bracing, cladding, doors, and interior lining. the OSB was painted a ‘woodland grey’ on the exterior, both to protect the timber from the elements, and nestle the small shelter into its surroundings. two symmetrical doors provide alternate entry to opening the lid, and provide ample cross ventilation when needed. when open, the doors aesthetically resemble wings for the pod. small triangular flap doors at the front of the structure provide additional ventilation. a large acrylic window wraps the front of the structure, below the lid, and is angled down towards the water view in its current site. the window allows a connection with nature even when completely enclosed within the shelter. though the current prototype uses virgin timber, further sustainable options will be explored in the future, using recycled timber for framing and cladding where possible. there is also scope for insulating the structure to allow longer term shelter amongst the elements.

project info:

name: the coop
designer: almo troup, trouthouse

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom