When she was growing up in La Jolla, California, it was impossible for Renee Wang to ignore the rising homelessness crisis in her hometown.
“In my home state of California there are over 160,000 unhoused people, both sheltered and unsheltered,” Wang told The 74. “In San Diego, only half the homeless people can be accommodated by the existing shelter system.
So, at just 16 years old, Wang proposed a solution: creating tiny homes that were easy to construct, install, and replicate on a massive scale.
Her source of inspiration? LEGO bricks and Rubik’s cubes.
Her model — which she dubbed Rubix — is built to be “cheaper, faster, and far more efficient” than comparable tiny home products.
“The tiny home can be assembled by interlocking ten prefabricated 3D components — and each of the components accommodates a certain living space, like a kitchen, a bathroom, or a bedding area, or storage,” Wang explained.
With sustainability in mind, Wang chose bamboo and recycled plastic for her construction materials.
“Even some LEGO products, which meet the highest standards of safety and health, are being made from recycled plastics,” Wang wrote on her website: Stories of the Streets.
“My design embraces this sustainable approach by using recycled plastic products for plumping pipes, mechanical wires, water tanks, etc.”
The models are also “entirely off-grid,” so that the Rubix homes could double as temporary housing for survivors of natural disasters.
“It has an independent plumbing system so it can also be used in natural disaster relief,” Wang said.
Additionally, the tiny homes can generate their own electricity through rooftop solar panels.
“The electric power usage can be 100% generated from the solar panels even on the shortest days of the year in places with very little sunlight,” Wang proposed.
“[And] in colder or hotter areas, additional batteries can be added to the upper part of the mechanical compartment.”
In 2023, Wang won a $25,000 scholarship from The Davidson Fellows Scholarship Program in San Diego for her Rubix project.
Since then, Wang has been busy perfecting her design, building plywood models, and meeting with experts to gain guidance on next steps.
“Currently, I’m fundraising to create the prototype and I’m aiming for $30,000 — because the shelter beds in San Diego cost $50,000 to maintain per year as opposed to a tiny home that could cost $30,000 or less for a one-time purchase,” Wang told The 74.
“I’ve been in communication with a lot of different city council members and other nonprofits that are interested in seeing it be implemented in San Diego and in other places around the country.”
Above all, Wang said the most rewarding part of her project so far has been meeting with unhoused people and getting their input on her designs.
“I not only managed to collect the appropriate data for the development of my project, but was also graced by their positivity, resilience, and kindness through the trials and tribulations of their lives,” Wang told The Davidson Institute.
“It was these individuals who inspired me, motivated me, and compelled me to overcome any difficulties.”
For Wang, Rubix is more than a unique architectural feat. It’s a passion project directly tied to her fight to end homelessness for her neighbors.
“It’s intended to support independent living with dignity for the homeless population,” Wang said.
Header image via Davidson Institute / Stories of the Street
