Susanka has proposed an approach to housing that values quality over quantity. She is a registered architect and certified interior designer as well as a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council. In 2007, she received the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award, an award given periodically to recognize 'outstanding individual achievement, a spirit of initiative, and work that exemplifies great dedication toward making positive contributions to our world'. She appeared on the 'Environmental Power List' in Organic Style magazine that same year. In 2004, Builder Magazine ranked her as No.

Susanka was dubbed 'one of 18 innovators in American culture' by U.S. She has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Charlie Rose Show, and NPR's Diane Rehm Show, and her philosophies have appeared in various publications such as USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. She was a founding partner, along with her thesis advisor, of the Minneapolis-based residential architecture firm, Mulfinger, Susanka, Mahady & Partners (now known as SALA Architects) before leaving to pursue her writing and speaking career full-time. Her thesis was the basis of her 'Not So Big' books. She pursued a master's degree in architecture from the University of Minnesota while working for several architecture firms. After graduating from the University of Oregon, she settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Susanka was born March 21, 1957, Knockholt, Kent, England, and moved to the USA in 1971. Susanka is the originator of the 'Not So Big' philosophy of residential architecture, which aims to 'build better, not bigger.' Susanka has been credited with initiating the tiny-house movement. Sarah Susanka FAIA (born March 21, 1957) is an English-born American-based architect, an author of nine best-selling books, and a public speaker.

The not so big house collection