Building Blocks
New York City is going micro, with a building entirely made of itty-bitty modular apartments.
New York is known for tiny apartments, but this winter the city is taking its reputation to the max (or minimum, I should say). Currently being built in a Brooklyn warehouse are 55 small units—between 255 and 360 square feet—that will soon cross the East River to Manhattan by truck. On 27th Street, cranes will then stack them on top of each other to create the city’s first micro-unit building and its largest prefab structure at nine stories.
The modular construction allows workers to build apartments (toilets and all) before fitting them together like Legos. Aside from their novelty, these tiny spaces require less energy for heating and cooling than your average living space. The pads' other perks? The builders are Energy Star partners and members of the U.S. Green Building Council, so they use environmentally friendly materials whenever possible. And that makes these cozy cribs pre-fabulous.
Photo: Ike Edeani
Photo: Ike Edeani
Photo: Ike EdeanionEarth provides reporting and analysis about environmental science, policy, and culture. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of NRDC. Learn more or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.