Our Take
Professor Dr. Jeff Wilson first made headlines after converting a dumpster into a space that he would live in for a year, at a Texas University. His goal was to live with less stuff and in a smaller space, showing others what is possible. One night, while enjoying his dumpster home, Wilson was again inspired. He decided he should create a small, affordable housing unit that could easily be transported after construction. The idea being that the structures are well designed and built so that people enjoy living in them, while at the same time making them affordable enough for cities to purchase for employees if wanted. These dumpster sized units will not feel like living in a dumpster in anyway, but they will require residents to get use to living in a smaller space. A trend that is continuing to grow in the U.S. right now as people want to save money, while being able to own a home. Each unit will be designed the same then stack on top of each other, using a rack type system. The homes are set to go on sale in the Austin, TX are this coming fall. Only time will tell if residents are ready to live in a smaller home, if it means low cost living.
Dr. Jeff Wilson is the “artist formerly known as Professor Dumpster.” Actually he still likes being called that. In 2014 the Huston-Tillotson Associate Professor of Biological Sciences turned a dumpster into a place to live…and he lived there for a year. “I owned my stuff. It didn’t own me.