Mission: Living small doesn't mean thinking small, and so our mission is to learn more about great architecture, educate dwellers of certain benefits, and dethrone the ubiquitous "McMansion" as the ultimate home, through collaboration, research, and revolutionary thinking.
Brand Essence/Bid Idea: Small spaces with big ideas.
Brand Attributes: efficient, witty, classic, simple, human (vs. mechanical), friendly.
Value Proposition: We are dedicated to supporting and honoring the small-dweller, and are interested in uncovering the greater possibilities that living small can provide for the individual and society.
Guiding Principles/Key Beliefs: We like to think that living smaller just makes sense, that when you spend less money on building and upkeep you have more for the stuff that really matters, and that smaller for small-sake is counterintuitive. We believe that good design is an integral part of real life, and so is being frugal.
Target Audience:
Christine & Peter
A married couple with a four-year-old, and another on the way, these professionals have been living within the city limits since their careers got off the ground. A little cramped for space in their current condo (a space they've owned since before their first-born) the need to expand for the growing numbers has increased. They can't afford to build new so instead are opting for renovating. With future college educations and other baby expenses to consider, they need to get creative with the space available in accordance with their budget.
Danny
Growing up in the midwest suburbs, Danny's been told that "bigger is better." As a student of architecture though, he's come to believe that this isn't always the case. The current landscape of his native Chicago has granted him first-hand experience to urban sprawl and its disadvantages, and this has greatly affected the work he hopes to create as a professional. Danny is an active member of his local American Institute of Architects student chapter, mostly because of his eagerness to hear a professionals' point of view. He reads Dwell, and is an active member of Good (sources of political, spiritual, and aestethic inspiration).
Laurence
A retired business owner, Laurence has finally acquired the time to do the things he's always wanted. First on his agenda: build his dream home. Laurence has insisted to do it right the first time and go green, as to respect the land he will come to inhabit. After having lived in chaotic buzzing megacities exclusive to the United States for 30+ years, he's also interested in traveling the world. With bucket-list like his growing everyday, Laurence is concerned about cost of construction, the technologies available to him, and the amount of upkeep considering he'll be abroad often. He hopes that when the day is done, funds will still be plentiful for "the better things in life" and that his new space will compliment the spiritual revolution known as retirement.
Key Competitors: The Small House Society, Hometta
Competitive Advantage: Combining the abundant information of open-source infrastructures and concern for both the dwellers' aesthetic appeal and inner-being by supplying a deeper understanding of what living small "means".
Stakeholders: Higher Education Consortium of Urban Affairs (HECUA), Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).
