FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2026

More than a Tiny Home. A Blueprint for What Can Happen Next.

Bellingham, WA — For nearly 6+ years, a small group of students, builders, professors, and stubborn optimists pursued a deceptively simple question:

Could they successfully build a tiny house against all odds that pushed the limits of architectural and design science.

A home that gives back more than it takes.

Not metaphorically. Literally.

The result is Project ZeNETH — a Net Zero Energy Tiny House developed through a collaboration between students at Western Washington University’s Institute for Energy Studies and A1DesignBuild— a project that became far more than a tiny home on wheels.

It became a referendum on what the future of housing in Whatcom County might look like moving forward. And Moment Film Co was there to document this crazy journey.

“This story practically told itself,” says principal of Moment Film Co, Chris Donaldson. “The struggle to get this tiny house built was very real and very layered, and our goal was to grab people with this film in a way that makes a difference. Not only to understand the process and challenges, but be inspired by what is possible with ventures such as these.”

A Home Is a Belief System

Architects have long believed that the most compelling homes are never just structures. They are physical manifestations of values.

What Project ZeNETH ultimately demonstrates is that thoughtful building has ripple effects far beyond design:

• Students who worked on the project went on to careers in sustainable housing and permanently affordable development.

• Ideas tested in the 250-square-foot experimental structure are now influencing full-scale homes designed for long-term living.

That’s how meaningful change happens: Not all at once. But idea by idea. Project by project. Film by film. Together, it’s possible for all of us to make a difference.