Homes not houses
At both ends of the age spectrum there is a growing, and largely untapped desire for communities designed to foster closer connections, health and wellbeing. No matter our age, we all wish to live in the place and manner of our own choosing. The tenants of simple living, energy-conscious building and universal design are at the foundation of Minka homes and communities.
Adaptable and flexible
We believe each Minka should be the right size for the person(s) living in them and their community. To achieve this we use an innovative, modular building system that is completely adaptable. You choose your size, layout, interior and exterior finishes. Select from our library of pre-designed Minka homes or combine the components in infinite ways to create a home that is perfect for you.
More home, less waste
Minka uses state-of-the-art technology to use less and build more. We use CNC routers to precision shape (locally sourced when possible) plywood into elegantly joined post-and-beam system with customizable infill panels. Our building system yields energy efficient, low-waste homes. Minkas are exquisitely designed so that each and every square foot has a purpose.
Global design, local production
Minka was designed by Dr. Bill Thomas and optimized by Ax Jensen & Goehring Architects in Denmark. AJGA combines local Danish design and craft traditions, with the use of modern and emerging global technologies in the building and engineering industries. Currently, Minka parts are made in our Upstate New York production facility and shipped to you for local assembly. We are developing a fully-contained mobile production facility. This will enable local production and large-scale development.
Minka’s Founder: Dr. Bill Thomas
Dr. Bill Thomas, a geriatrician, has spent a quarter of a century creating replicable approaches to health and well being. In the early 1990’s he co-founded the Eden Alternative with his wife Jude Meyers Thomas. This approach brought plants, animals, children, and news ways of living and working into sterile nursing homes and soon spread around the world. In the 2000’s he developed the Green House™ model that enabled older people living with frailty to become part of a community, living in a household of ten to twelve people. Dr. Thomas is winner of the American Institute of Architects’ Decade Award for greatest influence over design. His blog ChangingAging.org and national ChangingAging Tour inspire millions of people committed to social change and personal growth.
Dr. Thomas is now focused on helping people of all ages live in the place and manner of their choosing. The simple design of Minka is based on research into human complexity and decades of input from some of our culture’s most vulnerable and valuable people. Dr. Thomas has distilled these insights into the Minka building system. The resulting homes and communities are optimized to help people move, eat, sleep and heal. Working with the University of Southern Indiana, Dr. Thomas and his team are developing a community-building model, MAGIC (Multi-Ability, multi-Generational, Inclusive Communities).