Canadian Teen Eng’g Phenom Builds Modular Home for the Homeless

When he became aware of the devastation in his hometown of London, Ontario, caused by homelessness, Ribal Zebian was determined to do something about it.

Ribal Zebian has developed a prototype modular home that he believes could help house people living on the streets. (Photo: Ribal Zebian)

“We have around 1,800 homeless people, and that number is rising, right?” Zebian stressed in an interview with Bryan Bicknell of CTV News.

A first-year engineering student at Western University and a Schulich Foundation Scholar, Zebian first drew attention last year when, as a high school student, he designed an electric, wooden, working model of a Mercedes G-Class SUV, which he later donated to the London Children’s Museum.

Now 18, Zebian has developed a prototype modular home that he believes could help house people living on the streets.

“And it’s not mainly the homeless issue. I’m concerned about the people in the future who will end up facing that problem, right? Because house prices are increasing and increasing and increasing,” he said.

Made of fiberglass panels and equipped with utilities, Zebian believes the home can be functional, inexpensive to build, and visually appealing.

“With fiberglass, you can make extravagant molds and replicate them. It can be duplicated. And for our roofing system, we’re not using the traditional truss method. We’re actually using an insulated-core PET foam that supports the structure and structural integrity of the roof,” he explained.

Longtime affordable housing advocate Gary Brown said he is encouraged by what he has seen so far.

“Are tiny homes the entire answer? No, but they’re part of the solution. I’ve seen quite a few going up in other cities, and it’s something London itself is kind of lagging behind on,” Brown said.