Tiny houses and their usefulness in addressing logistical challenges associated with operating a permanent 50-person Martian colony

When American singer-songwriter Malvina Reynolds composed the folk hit Little Boxes in 1963 it was held up as a protest song about the sameness and predictability of contemporary American architecture and 20th century society. More than half a century later, however, the habitat pendulum has swung and the “Tiny House/Home” movement is gaining momentum among sustainability activists, environmentalists, and a new breed of architects, who must rethink and incorporate inexpensive and realistic, as well as adaptable designs, into these tiny habitats for them to become a reality for ordinary people. Since the question is not whether we will colonize the Moon or Mars, but when, who and how we will colonize, these new habitats, therefore, must also reflect a sense of connectivity and situational awareness to avoid social isolation. This is important not for reasons of survivability in space, but also for marketability of the space living experience and for desirability for communities to move to space.