My Micro NY is the modular mini-apartment home that all of New York is counting on

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Modular high-rise buildings with small apartments solve the most pressing problem of modern megalopolises - the problem of a lack of affordable housing for one or two people within the city. It looks like New York is taking the issue seriously.

So, in 2013, the Big Apple mayor's office announced a tender for the development of a project and construction of universal apartment buildings for social needs. The victory went to the bureau. It took two years to work out the details, approvals and paperwork; in April 2015, the construction began on the object. A few months later, the designers dropped in on the construction site and reported on the progress of the installation work. I suggest watching a short video to better understand what is happening.

Construction of the house begins far from the building spot - at the Brooklyn Naval Dockyard. Large metal frames are made here, which will later become the structural elements of the future home.

The insulated blanks are transported to the construction site by ordinary trucks, where, like LEGO bricks, they are stacked in four rows with a height of 10 floors. In total, 92 blocks are involved, 55 of which will become apartments, and the rest will be reserved for general needs: storage rooms for bicycles and receiving guests, a gym, laundry and everything in the same spirit.

This approach has several advantages:

• The small building spot allows building in existing high density areas.
• Minimum waste and, consequently, damage to the environment.
• Reduced construction time.
• The low traffic load on public roads practically negates the inconvenience.
• Lower construction costs, which directly affect the cost of buying and renting a home.

The area of the apartments ranges from 24 to 35 square meters. This is not much, or even less, than it should be according to US standards. But My Micro NY is an experimental project with government support, one of the tasks of which is precisely to understand whether that many meters are enough for a full life. Although, by and large, the answer has long been on the surface: the main thing is to properly organize the available space with the help of transformable and built-in furniture. Examples are not far to seek.

Each apartment is equipped with a kitchenette, dishwasher, refrigerator, pantry, bathroom and fold-out furniture. Ceilings with a height of 2, 7 m and large windows contribute to the visual expansion of the space. Monthly cleaning is included in the rental price.

By the way, American publications predict the price from 2,000 to 3,000 dollars per month. Apparently, it is not so expensive for Manhattan - the historic center of New York. The City expects such pricing to somewhat cool off greedy developers, landlords and realtors who are used to making money out of thin air. However, this state of affairs is typical for us. That is why you want My Micro NY to shoot. This will give impetus to other similar projects. For example, the same Kasita - a compact apartment block with transportable apartments. And, perhaps, their loud blow to the real estate market will one day touch the countries of the former USSR.

Do you think we will live?