The Design Strategies for Micro Housing Apartments Essay

Research shows the importance of sunlight and window sizes for office workers' mental and physical well-being and stress levels, which can be connected to micro housing users. It is important for all inhabitants of buildings to have access to sunlight and outdoor views as positive impact. Research also shows the affect confined, isolated spaces have on users, micro-units certainly shouldn't be the cramped tenements, like in NYC's once-infamous slums, the building should be well-situated, well-lit, and its modular design places an emphasis on "shared community areas to compensate for smaller living spaces, boasting a rooftop garden, gym and shared lounges on almost every floor." It is important to include building amenities and social gathering spaces to give inhabitants access outside of their confined room spaces.
ARGUMENTS & CLAIMS
Many are questioning whether micro-units are livable and if the potential health risks of small apartments outweigh the benefits of affordable housing. Micro-apartments aim towards young professionals in their 20s, they are meant to be temporary living situations however, some believe it is definitely unhealthy for older people due to the stress of living in tight living conditions. Building design is a critical tool in the "promotion of societal health and well being, yet there remains a radical disconnect between the physical expectations placed on modern workers and the architectural response" to such demands. A thoughtfully designed space can increase productivity, foster a sense of community, and minimize environmental impact. It has been proven that tight spaces don't necessarily have a negative effect, but the inability to escape from the small apartments. It is more related to the users' experiences of the environment, by using design strategies to integrate social spaces, locating the building near city amenities, etc.
There is a lot to study on the micro-housing topic since it is so new. There aren't many micro units built yet, making it difficult to analyze its effect on inhabitants. However, it can be analyzed through other types of studies. This topic could further be studied through other similar tests on architecture and its impact on users, or the psychological effect on humans in compact spaces. With the lack of information in this field of architecture, these studies and analysis on micro housing will help the Micro Housing Studio by teaching students the new area of micro housing. Until now, there is no section in zoning and building regulations that pertains to micro housing. In Miami the smallest apartment allowed by code is 400 sq.ft, which is not considered a "micro" unit, so it is not . In order to understand how to design a micro unit, students in the studio need to understand how it feels in a micro space and what design strategies can be used. These studies will contribute on a bigger scale to the field of architecture, since micro housing is new, the few micro units that have been built can be analyzed as case studies in order to create design strategies to improve future micro housing apartments.