New York City has granted waivers to its building codes on some projects to foster the development of micro apartments.
An impetus for this action was to create more housing in a city that has a shortage of affordable units, but the first projects to construct tiny apartments have been oriented to a higher-income clientele. One such building comes with custom-made furniture, a weekly cleaning service, and an app-based “butler” that can arrange dry cleaning and grocery pick up services.
Such high-end developments may lay the ground work for affordable micro-apartment projects by alleviating the stigma associated with tiny living units, some housing experts point out. Some New Yorkers associate micro-apartments with the cramped tenements of the past. But successful luxury projects could provide proof-of-concept for affordable micro-apartments, boosters say.
Critics point out that that a 300 sf unit may be fine for single people, but many of those in need of affordable housing are families that need more space. New York’s City Council is considering a measure to allow micro-apartments to be constructed within affordable housing complexes with conventionally sized units.
Related Stories
| Mar 8, 2012
Green buildings more resilient than conventionally built structures
A new study by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning suggests that structures built to green standards can advance building resiliency.
| Mar 1, 2012
LEED Platinum standard likely to mean net-zero energy by 2018
As LEED standards continue to rise, the top level, LEED Platinum, will likely mean net-zero energy construction by 2018.
| Mar 1, 2012
EPA beefs up stormwater discharge rule from construction projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now finalized its 2012 construction general permit (CGP) that authorizes stormwater discharges from construction projects that disturb one or more acres of land in the areas where EPA is the permitting authority.
| Mar 1, 2012
Regulators investigate structural failures during construction of two Ohio casinos
Regulators with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration and the city of Cincinnati are investigatingthe collapse of the second floor of Cincinnati's Horseshoe Casino as workers were pouring concrete.
| Mar 1, 2012
Is your project too small for LEED? Consider other green standards
There are many other recognized national, state and local programs that offer a variety of best management practices and sustainable design, construction and operating strategies.
| Mar 1, 2012
California bill aims to cut costs for commercial building energy retrofits
A bill in the California Assembly would allow the state to pool together property owners’ energy-retrofit loans.
| Feb 29, 2012
Carvalho appointed Shawmut Safety Director
He has been a driving force behind multiple safety-orientated initiatives at Shawmut, including Safety Week, the creation of an online safety manual, and the implementation of a new safety reporting and tracking system.
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal budget cuts put major building projects on hold
A plan to build the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas is among several major building projects in jeopardy after the Obama administration’s 2013 budget was unveiled. The budget would cut all construction spending for the facility.
