Will Micro-Apartments Continue to Grow in Popularity?

This past January, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the winner of the My Micro NY design contest. Thirty-three design entries were submitted for a micro-apartment to be built initially at 335 E 27^th St. The winning design, a not-so-massive 325 square foot layout, is now part of a display at the Museum of the City of New York.

There has been lots of buzz lately regarding such accommodations. Reading the comments from around the interwebs, readers feel very strongly one way or another. While debate ensues, three facts worth pointing out are:

• More people live alone (Over 30% in NYC)
• Cities continue to expand
• More people are moving to cities

With that in mind, it’s easy to see how the micro-apartments make sense as a means of combatting urban sprawl. Many apartments are full of clutter and really don’t make efficient use of space. These apartments are more efficient in terms of building materials, heating and cooling as well as physical footprint. They look nice enough that they can serve as a decent bachelor pad.

Conversely, how will they hold up over time? Are the moving parts prone to breaking and certain spots hard to clean and reach? If someone cooks in the kitchen, will it smell like meat fat for the following week?

These are all questions that will really only be answered once the micro-apartment is put to good use and we have some real human case studies! As always, we will keep you updated once they do.

If you’re in New York City, the MCNY exhibit “Making Room” runs through September 15. If you can’t make it, Curbed NY has some great images of the floorplan and location.

Would you live in the NYC Micro-Apartment? Let us know below!