Design Intent
The Homes For Heroes Foundation was developed in response to the growing number of military veterans who have returned to civilian life and now face crisis. It is estimated that for approximately 25% of Canadian Armed Forces members, the process of being released from their military career back into their community can be stressful and complex. The transition process can affect many facets of their life and may impact an individual personally, psychologically, socially, financially, and professionally. Homes For Heroes will assist veterans, whose challenges have caused them to be homeless, progress towards a stable and secure life by providing housing and a robust support system, fundamental components of stability and dignity. NAK’s role has progressed from visioning, land use planning, and urban design, to detailed landscape design and tendering and created the renderings you see on this spread.
These tiny homes are designed to be a supportive structure to assist homeless veterans’ transition to civilian life. This transitional design’s goal is to have the residents live in the home until they can re-enter mainstream society or be transferred to more permanent long-term living communities. Each village has approximately 1 acre of land for 20 fully equipped one storey tiny affordable homes, (preferably) flat land that can be easily serviced, the location to be City Central, easy access to public transit, as well as having a close proximity to amenities and social services.
- Energy Efficient: By design, the tiny home “small footprint” means that less energy is required to operate each residence. A number of modifications are applied to the house plan to increase energy efficiencies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease the ongoing operating costs.
- Community Design / Garden: Site geometry is purposefully designed to allow a sense of openness and permeability throughout the site, as well as a sense of connectedness among the community residents. The H4HF Village will include an onsite community garden where residents can grow their own fruit and vegetables. Excess food will be offered to local food banks. To assist in the maintenance of the garden, rain barrels, and composting bins will be provided on site.
- Innovative Tiny Home Design: While each home will be approximately 299 square feet in size, it will be fully equipped with all the comforts of a larger home. The architectural design will be exemplary and iconic in the community and will assist in establishing a sense of pride, identity, and ownership among the residents.
Homes For Heroes is a registered charity (registration #72754 4892R0001) based in Calgary, that was developed with a vision to end veteran homelessness in Canada put forward by Murray McCann of The McCann Family Foundation and David Howard from the Canadian Legacy Project.
