In Los Angeles, a city with a worrisome and increasing dearth of low-cost housing, actionable solutions for this crisis have been few and far between. This micro dwelling, the result of a collaboration between students and faculty in the CityLAB research program at the University of California Los Angeles, is being proposed as one such salve. Designed to comprise a living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and dining area, the Backyard BI(h)OME clocks in at 500 square feet and is meant to be deployed in homeowners'—you guessed it—backyards for renting out to family or friends. The lab envisions the BI(h)OME—which is made of ETFE plastic and a steel-pipe frame—as "housing for an elderly parent, returning college student, or a rental unit."
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