The micro-unit trend isn’t just small talk, at least not in New York City.
For starters, architects in the city have creatively and comfortably fit eight rooms into one studio apartment in SoHo, N.Y. The design is the brainchild of Graham Hill, founder of treehugger.com, for his Life Edited project. With sliding walls, a Murphy bed, and multipurpose, minimal furniture, Hill displays this 420-square foot unit as an easily transformable solution to New York’s ever-growing population.
But now, the city is ready to take things down a notch. With its changing social and economic demographics, New York City is on the cusp of providing small units for its influx of renters, units that are just under 400 feet (the current minimum footage required by zoning laws).
The exhibit is based on the city’s initiative to transform the existing housing stock to accommodate its ever-increasing population.
“With single adults making up half of New York City’s households and new people moving to the city in huge numbers, it is appropriate that our housing stock and policies match how we live,” Amie Gross AIA, President of Amie Gross Architects.
These tiny but efficient units that serve plenty of living functions are best suited for a single renter or couple, modeled with an L-shaped configuration that is wheelchair accessible. Its design is similar to that of the adAPT NYC winner, My Micro NY, whose mock design provides a small terrace for an extra room and sustainability as it allows for more light into the unit. It also includes adjustable layouts in the interior.
Check out the video below to see just how adjustable interiors and shifting walls can add versatility to a micro-unit space:
GIZMODO - The Tiny Transforming Apartment That Packs Eight Rooms into 350 Square Feet from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
