Architecture

Manhattan's First Micro-Apt Bldg: Buildings+Almost Buildings

Wednesday, December 14
8:00 PM
        
In 2012, nARCHITECTS won the bid from the city to design Manhattan's first Micro-Apt building to accommodate NY's growing population of one- and two-person households. Completed in May, the ground-breaking Carmel Place features 55 micro-units ranging from 260 to 360 square feet.  Lauded by Architectural Record as "intelligently designed with a light and airy feeling of spaciousness," nARCHITECTS focused on quality and livability utilizing features that highlight light, space, and air.  Units have 9-feet 8-inch high ceilings, 8-foot high sliding glass windows, Juliet balconies, overhead storage and dual-purpose furniture like a desk that converts to a dining table.  Throughout the building there are shared amenities including a community room and a game room.
   NY's first Micro-Apt building (the tallest building in Manhattan made with modular construction) rented out rapidly.  Since its completion, the City altered its century-old housing laws to accommodate more buildings like Carmel Place.
   nARCHITECTS Principals Eric Bunge and Mimi Hoang (who co-founded nARCHITECTS to address contemporary issues in architecture through conceptually-driven, socially-engaging and technologically-innovative work) explore their "Buildings + Almost Buildings" process. Both Principals are Adjunct Assistant Professors at Columbia, received their Masters in Architecture from Harvard and have taught at Harvard, Yale and UC Berkley.