Manhattan, NY

Following the exhibit of micro-housing in Making Room (see Making Room), the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development decided to build a pilot prototype on a city owned lot in Kips Bay Manhattan. This project was Gans and Company’s submission to the Request for Proposal. It provides identical 69 small (300 square foot) apartments with carefully designed zones that extend the real and perceived dimension of the space: an entry threshold of storage, a layer with kitchen and bathroom, a major living room and then a balcony. Roof top and lobby provide shared amenities of dining and recreational space. On each floor, the circulation along a naturally lit corridor ends in a lounge. The placement of the fire stair at the plans center encourages residents to use it regularly.

By utilizing a single “plug and play” prefabricated module, the quality and value of benefits of factory production will be realized. The mechanical system is also unitized in the highly efficient heat pump for each apartment. The balconies and green screens are manufactured as a kit of parts and then installed on site.

Project Team:

Gans and Company: Deborah Gans, Isobel Herbold

Garrison Architects: James Garrison, Gabriela Esquera