Down in Amherst County, sculptor Craig Pleasants has created his own version of the easy-to-build, inexpensive shelter. He calls it the Octagonal Living Unit.

With a lot of cities looking for solutions to rising housing prices, the idea of making it easier for homeowners to add small second units in their backyards and garages is gaining traction.

“We transform the lack of resources into a principle of incrementality.” Alejandro Arevena, the winner of the 2016 Pritzker Prize articulates one of the ideas that drove the development of the OLU.