Architecture

Living in the City prototype packs plenty of home into a small space

Living in the City prototype packs plenty of home into a small space
Thai collective Apostrophe's Living in the City prototype aims to offer an attractive and practical living space in a small area
Thai collective Apostrophe's Living in the City prototype aims to offer an attractive and practical living space in a small area
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The Living in the City prototype
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The Living in the City prototype
The small structure includes room for a kitchen and dining area, living room, a multi-purpose space, large wardrobe, master bedroom, and a loft which could serve as an office or bedroom
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The small structure includes room for a kitchen and dining area, living room, a multi-purpose space, large wardrobe, master bedroom, and a loft which could serve as an office or bedroom
Much of the furniture serves dual purposes, with stairs also serving as shelves, for example
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Much of the furniture serves dual purposes, with stairs also serving as shelves, for example
The kitchen and dining area
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The kitchen and dining area
Plants have been placed on almost every conceivable spare surface
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Plants have been placed on almost every conceivable spare surface
The ground floor contains safety handrails, ramps, and enough room to safely maneuver a wheelchair
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The ground floor contains safety handrails, ramps, and enough room to safely maneuver a wheelchair
The Living in the City bathroom contains a shower, sink, and toilet
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The Living in the City bathroom contains a shower, sink, and toilet
The bathroom is the only really private place available
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The bathroom is the only really private place available
The prototype living space has a physical footprint of just 97 sq m (1,044 sq ft)
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The prototype living space has a physical footprint of just 97 sq m (1,044 sq ft)
The small structure includes room for a kitchen and dining area, living room, a multi-purpose space, large wardrobe, master bedroom, and a loft which could serve as an office or bedroom
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The small structure includes room for a kitchen and dining area, living room, a multi-purpose space, large wardrobe, master bedroom, and a loft which could serve as an office or bedroom
The stairs can be used as shelves
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The stairs can be used as shelves
The living space contains two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden
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The living space contains two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden
Thai collective Apostrophe's Living in the City prototype aims to offer an attractive and practical living space in a small area
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Thai collective Apostrophe's Living in the City prototype aims to offer an attractive and practical living space in a small area
The prototype shows a canny implementation of multiple-use furniture
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The prototype shows a canny implementation of multiple-use furniture
The Living in the City prototype provides much food for thought, with regard to maximizing our living space
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The Living in the City prototype provides much food for thought, with regard to maximizing our living space
The ground floor contains safety handrails, ramps, and enough room to safely maneuver a wheelchair
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The ground floor contains safety handrails, ramps, and enough room to safely maneuver a wheelchair
The living space contains two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden
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The living space contains two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden
Besides the bathroom, there are few real walls, and the designers promote the benefits of a shared, open space
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Besides the bathroom, there are few real walls, and the designers promote the benefits of a shared, open space
The Living in the City prototype provides much food for thought, with regard to maximizing our living space
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The Living in the City prototype provides much food for thought, with regard to maximizing our living space
Though the interior areas of the living space are small, they are still quite flexible
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Though the interior areas of the living space are small, they are still quite flexible
Besides the bathroom, there are few real walls, and the designers promote the benefits of a shared, open space
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Besides the bathroom, there are few real walls, and the designers promote the benefits of a shared, open space
The living space contains two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden
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The living space contains two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden
Though the interior areas of the living space are small, they are still quite flexible
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Though the interior areas of the living space are small, they are still quite flexible
The Living in the City prototype provides much food for thought, with regard to maximizing our living space
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The Living in the City prototype provides much food for thought, with regard to maximizing our living space
The living space contains two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden
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The living space contains two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden
The ground floor contains safety handrails, ramps, and enough room to safely maneuver a wheelchair
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The ground floor contains safety handrails, ramps, and enough room to safely maneuver a wheelchair
Besides the bathroom, there are few real walls, and the designers promote the benefits of a shared, open space
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Besides the bathroom, there are few real walls, and the designers promote the benefits of a shared, open space
View gallery - 27 images

As modern cities grow more densely populated and available living space shrinks correspondingly, ensuring that space is maximized to its full potential is essential. One proposal for making the most of the space we have comes via Thailand-based company Apostrophe's Living in the City housing unit.

The Living in the City prototype is still very much that – a prototype – and therefore shouldn't be considered a viable ready-for-market solution yet. However, by shoehorning two main floors, two mezzanines, and a vertical garden into a physical footprint of just 97 sq m (1,044 sq ft), it certainly provides food for thought.

In all, the unit features a kitchen and dining area, living room, a multi-purpose area, wardrobe, master bedroom, a vertical garden, and a loft which could be used as an office, or perhaps an additional bedroom.

The small structure includes room for a kitchen and dining area, living room, a multi-purpose space, large wardrobe, master bedroom, and a loft which could serve as an office or bedroom
The small structure includes room for a kitchen and dining area, living room, a multi-purpose space, large wardrobe, master bedroom, and a loft which could serve as an office or bedroom

Much of the furniture within Living in the City serves dual purposes, with the stairs doubling as shelves, for example, while a wall section also folds down into a working desk. The layout features few interior walls, with mesh floors and open-plan areas helping to impart a feeling of more space than is actually available.

The architects also pay a degree of attention to accessibility needs, as the ground floor sports safety handrails, ramps, and room to maneuver a wheelchair. However, these features are consigned to the ground floor only, so we'd be hard-pressed to cite the unit as a boon for people with mobility issues.

Source: Apostrophy's via TreeHugger

View gallery - 27 images
3 comments
3 comments
Drew Farkas
My whole house (decent sized, comfortable 1-bedroom, 2-bath house) fits in a 576 ft2 area, so I'm hardly impressed that they managed to cram this place into an area twice that big. And my entire house is on one story, so it's very handicap-friendly. And it was built in 1914.
JSSFB
Interesting, but no one under 25 could use it owing to the noise levels and no one over thirty owing to the agility level. Good idea and as it is a prototype I have no doubt that it will improve to some extent. My problem with spaces having a dual purpose is where to put the thing that you use for one purpose while you use the space for another. Keep going the idea is definately good
Gargamoth
Honestly, if you want to live in the city, you're going to live in an apartment. What country is this supposed to be for. So far, I don't like it.