As a way to solve the city’s housing problem, Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked competitors to submit designs for a rental building mostly made up of apartments that are 300 square feet or less.
On Tuesday, he unveiled the winner, a team from Monadnock Development LLC, Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation and nARCHITECTS.
“The growth rate for one- and two-person households greatly exceeds that of households with three or more people, and addressing that housing challenge requires us to think creatively and beyond our current regulations,” said Bloomberg.
Though tiny apartments command sky-high prices in the city, 40 percent of the 55 micro-units will be available for low- and middle-income New Yorkers.
Located at 335 East 27th Street, the apartments will be designed to maximize space and a feeling of openness, and will be the first multi-unit building in Manhattan developed using modular construction.
Apartment features include nine to 10 foot ceilings, Juliette balconies, overhead loft space, a compact kitchen and full-depth closet, and building amenities such as a laundry room, fitness space, residential storage, rooftop garden, porch with picnic tables and multi-purpose lounge.
Residents are expected to move into the apartments in September 2015.
But you don’t need to live in the micro-units to see what they’re like inside. The winning design and four other notable submissions are currently in an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York.
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