Since 1987, it’s been illegal to build apartments smaller than 400 square feet in New York City. But that hasn’t stopped Monadnock Development from doing it anyway.
It’s not because Monadnock doesn’t give a flying frisbee about obeying the law. In fact, the city waived zoning regulations for Monadnock and nARCHITECTS. Why? Because the Brooklyn-based duo won adAPT NYC, a competition aimed to address the growing need in NYC for affordable one- and two-person apartments.
The prize: the prestige of bringing NYC’s first micro-apartment building to life.
Now in it’s last construction phase, all of My Micro NY’s 55 micro-apartments are being prefabricated by 50 workers inside Capsys Corporation’s warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It’s a process called modular construction, which is said to reduce the project’s schedule up to 50% according to Monadnock Construction.
The video below shows My Micro NY’s assembly looking something akin to Santa’s industrial workshop.
When the micro-studios are done being built in June of 2015, they’ll be shipped to 335 East 27th Street in the Kips Bay area of Manhattan. There, a crane will stack the move-in ready apartments (each weigh the equivalent of 12 Ford F-150 trucks combined) on a steel beam like Tetris, except nine stories tall.
The micro-units will range in size from 260 to 360 square feet, which is about the size of a subway car minus the poles inside.
The apartments are tiny, but what they lack in size, they pack in functionality and sweet building amenities. For starters, 9-foot-8-inch tall ceilings ensure you won’t bang your head. A 63-square-foot juliet balcony combats claustrophobia, while a sliding glass door and huge windows let tons of natural sunlight flood your multi-purpose living area so you can bathe in sunlight (you’re gonna need it). When you’re ready to actually bathe, though, head to the shower in the bathroom a few feet away.
Hungry? A fold-down table, pull-out pantry, fridge, stove, and space for a convection microwave transform the kitchen into a culinary Swiss Army knife. To the side, there’s a closet to store your clothes. Perched on the kitchen and bathroom is a 70-cubic-foot cubby that provides generous storage space.
If you’re hankering for an infinite closet, we recommend storing everything you don’t need right now, such as your winter clothes, skis, and snowboard, in MakeSpace. Simply schedule your free MakeSpace pickup and we’ll bring 3-cubic-foot bins to your door. Pack the bins with anything you’d like to store, gather your skis and snowboard, and we’ll store them in our secure storage facility. When you need something delivered, it’s just a few clicks away.
Now that it’s spring, everyone’s mind is on rooftop parties, getting in shape to counter the effects of said rooftop parties, and anything else that involves being outside as much as possible. Good thing My Micro NY will also have a roof garden, a roof terrace (we’re drooling at the thought of grilling up there), and a gym. Just be careful not to pump too much iron, or else you might have trouble fitting inside your mini modular marvel.
Tobias Oriwol, My Micro NY’s project manager, told AM New York that rentals will take place around the end of 2015. 33 of the 55 micro-apartments will go for market rate while the remaining 22 will be affordable units, each of which are predicted to rent for below $3,000 a month.
Eager to move into NYC’s first micro-apartment building?
You’re not alone. After winning adAPT NYC, nARCHITECTS received dozens of calls from interested people of all ages according to The New York Times.
But don’t let that stop you. If you’re one of the incredibly lucky people to rent a beautiful My Micro NY apartment, hit us up at press@Clutter.com. We’d love to hear about your experience living there along with any space-saving tricks you’ve employed along the way.
Update: Brick Underground reports that applications are open for 14 of My Micro NY’s 55 micro-apartments. 11 studios are asking for $950/month and three studios are asking for $1,492/month. You have until November 2, 2015 to apply.
