20 Jan 2017DisruptorsCarmel Place is miniature housing for the modern urbaniteDISRUPTORS: The ideas changing industries
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Would you live in an apartment roughly the size of a one-car garage? Over 60,000 Americans would like to. And with a growing number of people choosing to live alone, Carmel Place – a tower block of Manhattan's first micro apartments – is proving popular among New Yorkers.

Author
Isabel Pickard

Designed with minimalist living in mind, each unit measures between 260 and 360 square feet. The apartments are equipped with miniature kitchen appliances and neutral, minimal furnishings, like fold-away beds and expandable kitchen tables, making maximum use of limited space. “Carmel Place represents a new housing paradigm for the city’s growing small household population,” says the jury from the American Institute of Architects, which awarded the apartment block the 2017 Honor Award.

Smaller spaces for single-person households

Micro-living is an increasingly popular option among the growing number of Americans living alone – a proportion that has risen from around 5% in the ‘20s to 27% in 2013. And 40% of apartments at Carmel Place come at an affordable cost in comparison to many inner-city dwellings – around $1,500 a month. The rest cost up to $3,000, with other amenities such as a butler service included.

While the cost per square foot might seem steep, for many it’s worth it for the location alone. "We're noticing people are willing to trade off space for a better experience,” says Chris Bledsoe, founding partner of Stage 3 Properties, which is a partner in Carmel Place. And with two-thirds of the world’s population set to reside in cities by 2050, solutions like Carmel Place could soon become the norm.

Isabel Pickard is a Psychology graduate currently based in Warwickshire. She has an avid interest in human behaviour and is curious to explore this in new and diverse cultures.

Lore Oxford is Canvas8's deputy editor. She previously ran her own science and technology publication and was a columnist for Dazed and Confused. When she’s not busy analysing human behaviour, she can be found defending anything from selfie culture to the Kardashians from contemporary culture snobs.