When we go away we always do the self-catering thing so that we can pretend we live in the area while we're there; we like to do the every day things but in a different place and somehow that really does feel like a break, you know? And I'm picky as hell too when it comes to choosing somewhere to st
Aside from its inherent space and energy efficiency, compact living--or rather the high density living that often accompanies it--has been credited as being a catalyst for innovation. In his book Triumph of the City, Harvard economist Ed Glaeser found that when a city doubles in size, productivity and innovation per resident increases by 15%. His thesis was that because people are constantly in collision with one another, sharing and expanding ideas, cities make fertile environments for innovation. More specifically, he said the ideal condition for innovation was 100 people per acre. One person who took Glaeser’s idea quite seriously was Zappos.com founder Tony Hsieh. He took it so seriously that a few years ago he helped spur the Downtown Project. With the help of various Glaeser-inspired urban interventions, he sought to transform Las Vegas’ haggard old downtown area into one of the world’s leading innovation centers. One way the Downtown Project went about achieving their 100 person per acre ideal was to convert a vacant lot into an Airstream trailer park, mostly using them as “crash pads” for visiting coders. No one can accuse Hsieh of lacking conviction in his beliefs. Not only has he put $350M of his own money into the revitalization project, but he is living in one of the thirty trailers--sharing the 200 sq ft space with his pet Alpaca. Like the MacMannis’ Airstream we looked at the other week, Hsieh isn’t exactly slumming it. The trailers are all recently renovated and nicely appointed. Nonetheless, for a man with a net worth of $840M, this is a very modest home. While some could charge him and other people of means as tourists in the realm of small space, minimalist living, I think they are showing something else. The merits of small, simple living are something anyone, rich or poor, can benefit from. Consequently, we are seeing more people who can have all they want choosing to live with what they need. Photo: L.E. Baskow
Have you ever had the desire to escape it all? Maybe hole up in the woods or on the side of a mountain. But perhaps the traditional twig hut or cave is a bit too spartan for your liking. Maybe you wan
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Studio apartments are efficient, cost-effective options for living in the city of your dreams, whether it’s New York or L.A., but they don’t exactly offer much privacy. However, you can still create a soothing sanctuary that feels separate from the rest of your open-floor plan home without bringing in a contractor or spending a lot of money.
Chicago adds its name to the growing list of cities that are building large-scale micro-unit developments with FLATS Chicago. The project is quite an undertaking. The development company, Cedar Street Co, has acquired seven buildings, representing 1200 apartments that will be converted into luxury apartments in the city's rough-and-tumble Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. Unit size will average around 350 square feet and be as small as 275. Amenities will include things like free wifi, washer/dryers in each unit, bike-shares, common spaces, rooftop pools and sports clubs. Projected rents range from $800 a month for a studio to at least $1,400 a month for a two-bedroom. [caption id='attachment_3820' align='alignleft' width='414'] Rendering of Interior of FLATS Chicago[/caption] Jay Michael, one of Cedar Street's partners, told Time Out Chicago that he wants to 'sell singles on what he calls 'FLATS life': Common spaces are 'an extension of your space' where you can meet neighbors or entertain friends,' and that they are 'targeting recent college grads who are ready to live alone,' who 'for the same rent they’d pay for their half of a two-bedroom condo...can live solo at FLATS.' Sounds good to us. But there's a catch: the buildings in question are dilapidated SRO's, many of which, until recently, were occupied by impoverished residents. Though the developers want to make their units financially 'approachable' to the existing tenants, the rents will likely be out of reach for most, and construction will inevitably displace them, even if that displacement is only for the length of the renovation. While not obliged to do so, Cedar Street is working with transition coordinator Sherri Kranz to find housing for old tenants, many of whom have been in the apartments for more than 10 years. In one building alone, Wilson Tower, she's working to find 60 people new homes--a challenge for people accustomed to paying as little as $475/month rent. She's turning to city housing and nonprofits, though it sounds like sometimes the best she can do is get people on waiting lists. [Note: the SRO's in question are not the 'supportive housing' we talked about the other day, but rather privately held buildings.] It's the perennial gentrification conundrum. On one side are the under-served populations the buildings house. However, these building are, in Kranz's words, 'slums'--ones that in short time will be closed due to disrepair, making them a not-so-sustainable housing solution. On the other side, the FLATS apartments will presumably serve large populations of city-dwellers, young and old alike, who are priced out of traditional apartments in more expensive neighborhoods. Granted, there's a big difference between having to get a roommate and being homeless, but it doesn't negate the need for this type of clean, smart and affordable apartment. Do you have any thoughts on these competing interests? Have you seen them successfully reconciled? Let us know in our comments section. via Time Out Chicago
I have a crush On an American Dream... Of getting in my Airstream... And living free untethered - unplugged completely off the grid. I want to start with an old one and restore it with some personality. Make it fit me, a little bit dignified, a little bit playful, a little bit fierce Living space, studio space... Free as a bird Completely alone in a aluminum cocoon (Well... perhaps with the company of a good dog!) where anything is possible owning little beyond the travel trailer and the truck that hauls it. but living a rich full life. A life that is full of laughter and wonder. I wanna live that life where I can put aside their expectations... and reach for something deeper, more honest, more real. I just can't wait to get on the road again! Happy Trails, -Carmen Rose
One of the more interesting architectural tactics for increasing urban density and housing stock is using spaces that are often ignored or thought un-developable. This is the idea behind Michael Perry’s Cliff Swallow Apartment, the recent winner of the AIA Future of Architecture Award in the Social Impact category. It’s an apartment that sticks to the side of existing buildings, ostensibly increasing density and providing affordable housing in expensive NYC neighborhoods. [showcase slug='cliff-swallow'] Perry envisions the teardrop-shaped units being accessed via penetrations cut into the side of buildings along their circulation paths (stairs and elevators), though he says they could also be adjoined to existing units, increasing their square footage. If the units were ever removed, a simple brick patch up would be all that was needed to restore the host building to its former glory. Perry says that units could temporarily lease air rights above neighboring buildings, “creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the new unit and the existing building below.” Though the structure looks solid, the shell would be flexible and kept rigid via an air compressor. I do have some questions that I’m not sure need to be answered. Where do the plumbing stacks go? What is the R value of the shell--it better be good with full blast sunlight or winter winds belting its side? And though this is designed to provide low cost housing in expensive neighborhoods, what’s stopping someone for charging a fortune for a Cliff Swallow Apartment? Like I said, these are questions that are not necessarily important to answer. As much as practical strategy for adding affordable housing, the Cliff Swallow Apartment is an exercise in imagining world’s that could be if we let go of conventional architectural thinking. Images via Michael Perry Via Houzz
Are you struggling with inspiration to decorate your small apartment? Find inspiration here. This beautiful apartment is only 40m² and decorated just the way…
Hank is an architect student who bought a bus for his final project. He was tired of doing projects that weren't real. They were just on paper. Hank's grandfather owns an 80-acre parcel of land in Wisconsin
From New Zealand-based Tiny House Builders is the Pohutukawa, a modern tiny home that can accommodate up to six people with its two lofts and sofa sleeper.
Have you ever thought you understood the world around you, then all of sudden discover hidden subcultures right under your nose? You thought you knew your colleagues and neighbors and then find out they are really, deeply into things like Dungeons and Dragons, trainspotting and Hummels. Well, I thought I had a pretty broad understanding about small space housing. I know tiny houses, yurts, micro-apartments and many things in between. I thought I knew it all until I discovered Skoolie.net, “The School Bus Conversion Network.” Unbeknownst to me, there is a whole population of people turning old school busses into live-in dwellings. Converting school busses makes sense in many ways. School busses are house sized, measuring up to 45’ long and 8 ½’ wide, giving ample room for living space (you can get smaller ones if so desired). They lend themselves to customization with nice open floor-plans. Their simple structures makes them easy to seal and insulate. They have ample light. They run on stout diesel motors and their mechanicals are engineered for daily use and are appropriately repairable and robust. And they can be had for cheap. You can pick up a used school bus in decent shape for $5-10K. Compare this to a tiny house, whose trailer might cost $5K--and you still need a decent-sized vehicle to port it around. Because they are not purpose-built for habitation, school bus aficionados are more inclined to DIY-ing. In fact if you want a cheap, turnkey mobile place to live, a class C motorhome can be had for less money--and a lot less effort--than a converted school bus. However, a cheap motorhome will, in all probability, be cheaply built, with crappy finishes, fixtures and appliances. And the odds of standing out at the campground in a Winnebago are minimal relative to pulling up with a school bus with a VW Bus grafted to the roof. School bus conversions do have some drawbacks, as Shawn from Schoolbusdriver.org points out. Standing room usually caps out at six feet in the middle, which is less than ideal for some such as this author. Transmissions are typically geared for stop and go driving, not highway cruising, which can make long trips slow and thirsty. And 'Scraping years of petrified boogers and gum from under the seats is less fun than it sounds.' It's not entirely clear whether all of the busses on Skoolie are lived in or just a secondary dwelling. Either way, the site and its members present another interesting, mobile form of compact housing from which to choose from. Images via Skoolie.net
Years after my college dorm days, I never thought I'd be considering a mini refrigerator. But when my former Santa Monica apartment kitchen called for crea
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belgian architectural firm dmvA designed 'blob VB3', a mobile unit for the office of xfactoragencies as an extension to the 'house'.
a modern prefabricated wooden house blurs the boundary between its interior and surrounding environments creating an infinite range of experiences for dwellers.
After suffering from several bouts of pneumonia and losing some of her distance vision, Jessica Bolt knew that she would not be able to afford rent or an average home on her teacher's salary.
Ottawan Joseph Dupuis built this mostly-off-grid, 355 sq ft shipping container home and is now selling it for a cool $46,500 ($58K CAD). While this doesn’t fall into the super cheap price tier, especially as it lacks a toilet and you're still going to have to find land. But the house’s price seems quite justifiable if you’re in the market for something relatively apocalypse-proof. First off, the shipping container shell (actually, there are three attached together), designed to sit exposed to the elements whilst making ocean-crossings, can stand up to all but the fiercest storms (or zombies). The container doors lock over the windows, making it even more bulletproof. Next, the whole thing is completely insulated for any violent shifts in weather. There’s a propane tank that fuels both in-floor radiant heat and the hot water heater. Apparently, it’s an energy miser. Dupuis, who lived in the house for two years, said he spent a mere $35 on heating for one whole winter. There’s also a wood burning stove for the Thoreauvian set. Electricity comes from nine 235 watt solar panels that charge a 27 volt battery bank. Water is municipal and feeds a shower and sink. As mentioned there is no toilet as that would have required a septic permit, which Dupuis was disinclined to get. The house will come with a rough-in for a composting toilet (I didn’t know composting toilets needed rough-ins).Needless to say, the house is designed to be easily dismantled and shipped, which Dupuis is happy to arrange. What do you think? Is this an off-grid dream home at a fair price or a not-so-inexpensive, slightly-too-rough-and-ready backwoods bunker? Photo credit: Japhet Alvarez / Via Facebook: s7vnth Via Huffington Post
