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Architecture

Student living goes Nano with 140-sq ft suites

February 24, 2016
Student living goes Nano with 140-sq ft suites
The Nano suites are aimed at going some way meeting the demand for affordable on-campus housing
The Nano suites are aimed at going some way meeting the demand for affordable on-campus housing
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The Nano suites are aimed at going some way meeting the demand for affordable on-campus housing
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The Nano suites are aimed at going some way meeting the demand for affordable on-campus housing
Each Nano suite will have a kitchen area with a hob
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Each Nano suite will have a kitchen area with a hob
UBC is to offer the Nano suites fully furnished
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UBC is to offer the Nano suites fully furnished
Each Nano suite will have a space-saving bed that converts into a desk
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Each Nano suite will have a space-saving bed that converts into a desk
The Nano suites will cover an area of just 140 sq ft (13 sq m)
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The Nano suites will cover an area of just 140 sq ft (13 sq m)
A 70-unit pilot of Nano suites is due for completion in 2019
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A 70-unit pilot of Nano suites is due for completion in 2019
The suites are to be priced at CAD 675-695 per month, compared to around CAD 1,100 for a standard suite
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The suites are to be priced at CAD 675-695 per month, compared to around CAD 1,100 for a standard suite
Residents will have access to bicycle storage, a games room, meeting rooms, music practice rooms, study lounges and a fitness center
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Residents will have access to bicycle storage, a games room, meeting rooms, music practice rooms, study lounges and a fitness center
The convenient on-campus location of the Nano suites will be a major selling point
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The convenient on-campus location of the Nano suites will be a major selling point
A plan of the Nano suite with the bed unfolded
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A plan of the Nano suite with the bed unfolded
A plan of the Nano suite with the bed folded away to be used as a desk
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A plan of the Nano suite with the bed folded away to be used as a desk
Each Nano suite will have a bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet
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Each Nano suite will have a bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet
View gallery - 12 images

We've featured some small apartments on Gizmag before, but they've typically been borne of physical constraints. The University of British Columbia's (UBC) planned 140 sq ft (13 sq m) student "Nano" suites, however, are purpose-designed to be affordable.

UBC acknowledges that the suites are "not for everyone," but says they are aimed at going some way to meeting the demand for affordable on-campus housing. The convenient location of the suites will be one of the selling points.

Each unit will have a kitchen area with a hob and a sink, as well as a separate bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet. They will be offered furnished, with a space-saving bed that converts into a desk and a storage space with a clothes rail. Residents will have access to in-room high-speed internet, bicycle storage, a games room, meeting rooms, music practice rooms, study lounges and a fitness center.

A full-scale mock-up of a Nano suite went on display for UBC students to view earlier this week and a 70-unit pilot is due for completion in 2019. The suites are to be priced at CAD 675 - 695 (US$490 - 505) per month, compared to around CAD 1,100 for a standard suite.

The video below provides a "tour" of the Nano suite.

Source: University of British Columbia
UBC SHHS Nano Suite Virtual Tour

View gallery - 12 images

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ArchitectureHousingBuilding and ConstructionStudents
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8 comments
gettodacessna
"CAD 675 - 695 (US$490 - 505) per month, compared to around CAD 1,100 for a standard suite."
What a complete rip-off.
MarkRavingMad
So you're telling me I'd have to clear my desk to pull down my bed? Yeah. Not happening.
Daishi
I think just lifting the bed and putting a desk under it is a better/easier way to do that space: http://i.imgur.com/ah6KK0z.jpg
I had a setup similar to that in the service with a dresser in place of where the fridge is in that photo. Another simple tip is we shared a bathroom with 5 people but the shower and toilet were behind another door within the bathroom. It allows multiple people to get ready at the same instead of having to wait for someone to get out of the shower.
I don't see a microwave either and they could have added one with a built in fan above the stove and with such limited space they probably didn't need to go with a full kitchen. Most people young enough to be living in a space like this would have a TV and a PS4 about where the kitchen sits.
Robert Walther
$500 per month for 140 sq ft better include ALL conceivable utilities.
Harap White
for all people commenting please keep in mind this is about Vancouver where the real estate market is one of the most expensive in the world. You don't believe me? Recently a 1912 house on a 33x120 foot lot sold for $4.23 million. The seller's price was for $3.5 million
here is the article: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2016/02/3555-west-1st-avenue-kitsilano/
thank you government and 'honest' buyers that made this place unlivable...
Wombat56
@MarkRavingMad I'm not sure. It looks like there may be a space below the bottom of the bed and the top of the desk when the bed is folded down.
In that case you'd just have to lay everything flat on the desk before bed time. It's still bloody expensive and I'm surprised they didn't include a microwave oven.
Mokeroo
Nothing new here. In Australia we call them "Dongas" and have been living in them in mining camps for years. Tv is wall mounted,bar fridge an essential, also full size wardrobe and small desk. I do like the bed for a tiny house.
Augure
Japanese metabolist engineers did way better 40 years ago, for exemple with the Nagakins. There is nothing "space" or "efficient" about these suits, having that must estate taken by a kitchen and a bathroom when you have so little space, is nothing if not a way to rip students who can't afford a place because your liberal market is f***'d up and people who are active don't even have a place to live like they were homeless. This is happening in all the cities and countries that have sold out the common good they're hold to protect by their constitutions to pass laws that advantage greedy destruction parasitic capitalistic structures, even if it means ruining your future engineers, entrepreneurs and workers...