Micro units

In 2012, New York a program called “adAPT NYC.” A competition among architects developed “micro units” smaller than the city’s 400-square foot minimum for apartment space. Then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg waived zoning restrictions and the winning entry resulted in Carmel Place. It contains 55 studio apartments ranging from 260 to 360 square feet, and eight are reserved for formerly homeless veterans. Half the apartments contain flexible furnishings that integrate seating, a wall bed and storage. They city received more than 60,000 applications for 14 units eligible for low-income subsidization of rent.

Micro lofts in former commercial space

Making Room tells the story of city officials and developers in Providence, R.I., working together to transition the country’s first enclosed shopping mall into affordable housing that combines residential and retail under one roof.

“What The Arcade Providence’s upper-level residences lack in space is made up for with convenient access to lower-level retails shops and downtown Providence. The majority of the 48 units range from 225 to 300 square feet.”

Housing designed for veterans

“Nonprofit organizations have led the way in developing specially designed residences for the nation’s most vulnerable populations. Two stunningly modern, small-unit properties on opposite coasts serve low-income residents, including formerly homeless veterans. Each project focuses on creating a healthy and inspiring environment, both of which are critical factors for people transitioning out of homelessness or back into civilian life. Designs that emphasize sunlight, for example, are thought to be helpful in mitigating the effects of post–traumatic stress disorder.”

Prefab prototypes

“Fully furnished, stackable and transportable micro-homes could be the solution to a variety of housing needs across the economic spectrum. San Francisco developer Patrick Kennedy created MicroPAD, a prototype dwelling his firm proposes as a permanent-housing solution for the city’s homeless. MicroPAD’s all-inclusive design — which also comes in a wheelchair-accessible version — features a private bathroom, kitchenette, bed, desk and armoire. Constructed from steel, the 160-square-foot model exceeds California’s seismic standards.”

Co-living

Due to “the growing popularity of the sharing economy,” explains Makin Room, “a surge of housing entrepreneurs are exploring living arrangements that promote alternatives — from co-living or group living to co-housing to co-parenting and beyond… Designers have embraced the challenge of creating spaces for shared and group activities that can actively enhance the quality of life for people living in nontraditional (essentially non-nuclear-family) arrangements. The amenities in shared spaces are often designed and programmed to foster collaboration between residents, build community and provide connections between private and shared spaces.”

Group living

Increasingly, new and future apartment building designs will embrace needs of contemporary roommate-style or group living. The projects fill a gap between typical shared row houses (at a lower price point) and private studios or one-bedroom apartments.

Turnkey neighborhoods

“The experimental concept meshes the convenience of a fully furnished apartment and the flexibility of a hotel stay with the social and communal advantages associated with dorm living… Unlike with a more typical apartment, residents forgo larger private quarters and relative seclusion in favor of hip, amenity-filled spaces expressly designed to facilitate living and playing with others. There’s a Sunday night dinner and other programmed activities, such as yoga.”

Cohousing

“Cohousing neighborhoods combine the value of private homes with the benefits of more sustainable group living. These communities, which are typically created by residents rather than by developers, can address roles traditionally played by extended families, such as assistance with childcare or eldercare. Participants commit to actively engaging in the governance of the housing development, most often through a homeowners association.”

Housing for grandparenting

ADA-accessible and affordable housing compleses designed around multigenerational needs. Amenities requested by prospective residents of the Los Abuelitas Family Housing development in Tucson, Ariz., included “an open kitchen and dining area with some private, enclosed outdoor space a large community room and a ‘hang out’ space for older kids.”

Additional dwelling units (ADUs)

ADUs are “self-contained, secondary housing units that exist within or adjacent to a primary residence — such as in the basement, the garage, on an upper floor, in an attached addition or in the backyard. ADUs provide flexible solutions. These separate-but-related apartments or cottages permit owners of single-family residences to capitalize on their investment, typically boosting property value. An ADU can enable homeowners to legally rent out a backyard bungalow or attached apartment — or move into the smaller residence and rent their primary, larger home instead. (The ADU is considered part of the original property and can never be sold independent of it.) An ADU can allow older adults to age in their existing home with live-in care, or make it possible for homeowners to provide adjacent housing for their aging parents or their adult children, grandchildren, or other family or friends.”

Next Gen: The home within a home

“Next Gen floor plans incorporate a self-contained suite — which has a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette and living area — into the first floor of an otherwise traditional single-family home. The suite has two doors: one is a private entrance and the other connects to the larger, main house. Some suites also include a private one-car garage. The arrangement provides maximum flexibility for the suite’s residents, who can choose when to opt in to the larger household’s activities (or seek assistance) and when to function independently.”

Interconnected housing

Interconnected spaces coexist under one roof, with separate entrances, providing private and common spaces. Making Room tells the story of the Choy House in New York, designed for a “Chinese American family — a couple with two children, a brother and his wife, and the brothers’ mother — to have a private space as well as areas where they can come together. The two brothers live as neighbors: their separate entrances are only a few feet from each other. The rear of the house is occupied by the family of four, while the front is used by the two-person household.”

The Alley Flats initiative

Austin, Texas, incentivizes and assists property owners with under-utilized lots to build additional dwelling units with alley access. To receive financial assistance in building ADUs, property owners agree to lease the properties for the first five years only to tenants at or below 65% of the median family income and rent cannot exceed 28% of the tenant’s monthly household income.

The “Granny Pod” MEDCottage

“The MEDCottage caters to older adults who have mobility and medical issues and want to live with family while maintaining a level of independence. The prefabricated, customizable, portable 12-by-24-foot residence (dubbed a “Granny Pod” by the media) is equipped with touch-illuminated flooring, sensors that monitor vital signs and alert caregivers and doctors to problems, and audible reminders to take medication.

A MEDCottage can be a viable and often more affordable alternative to assisted living. The units can be rented for less than $1,000 a month or purchased for about $85,000.”

The open house

“It’s a three-bedroom, two-bath house — with a twist! Custom-designed for the National Building Museum’s Making Room exhibition by architect Pierluigi Colombo, The Open House has a hyper-efficient layout, movable walls and multifunctional furniture that enables it to meet many of the nation’s housing needs. At 1,000 square feet, The Open House is an example of the many ways thoughtful, flexible design can transform how we live.”

Source: “Making Room: Housing for a Changing America,” copyright 2019, AARP