# Affordable Rural Dwellings 'Rural Studio' Created This Home Design That Can Be Built for $20,000 By David Ingram | Published 2016-01-30 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rural-studio References: [mymodernmet](http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/rural-studio-20k-project) & [ruralstudio.org](http://www.ruralstudio.org/) Auburn University's Rural Studio undergraduate program has created this special [low-cost concept home](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sora-model) specially designed for the rural poor. The '20K Project' is a program to create a dwelling for under $20,000. The homes are designed for individuals on Social Security and offer a comfortable living space in a realistic price range. Each 500 square foot concept home features a corrugated metal exterior covering a wooden timber frame. The entire structure is perched on an [elevated pier platform](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vernacular-home), which is cleverly designed to reduce utility costs through a passive heating and cooling system, depending on the season. The interior of each one bedroom and bathroom home also offers a cozy and manageable living space at a fair price. Thanks to initiatives like this, personal home ownership for those less fortunate can become a realistic possibility. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.2/10 - Popularity: 59% | Activity: 59% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Affordable Rural Housing:** The Rural Studio's '20K Project' offers a disruptive innovation opportunity to reduce costs for rural housing projects. - **Passive Home Design:** The elevated pier platform in the '20K Project' could be used to reduce utility costs for affordable housing, presenting a new innovation field. - **Socially Conscious Architecture:** Initiatives like the '20K Project' are encouraging socially conscious architecture practices in the design and construction of low-cost housing. ### Where This Applies - **Construction:** The construction industry can explore the application of passive design to reduce utility costs for affordable housing. - **Real Estate:** The real estate industry can benefit from affordable rural housing trends by investing in social and environmentally conscious housing projects. - **Sustainable Architecture:** The '20K Project' and other similar initiatives offer opportunities for architects to integrate sustainable and cost-effective designs into their projects. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Reinvented Compact Living](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/affordable-housing-prototype.md) - [Affordable Housing Prototypes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tiny-house-1.md) - [Ultra-Efficient Tiny Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hirondelle-tiny-house.md) - [Compact Bengali Affordable Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/khudi-bari.md) - [Climate-Smart Rural Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vernacular-home.md) - [Compact Tiny Home Models](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sora-20.md) - [Affordable Portable Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/boxabl-baby-box.md) - [Affordable Timber Cabins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nature-pod.md) - [Compact Affordable Cozy Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-element.md)