nARCHITECTS Wins adAPT NYC Competition

On January 22, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the winner of the adAPT NYC competition, which the city launched in July of last year, asking for developer teams to propose designs for "micro-units" of around 300 square feet (28 s.m.). "My Micro NY" is the winning scheme from the team of Monadnock Development, Actors Fund Housing Development, and nARCHITECTS. The design is a 10-story building with 55 apartments, approximately half of them as income-restricted, affordable units.

The team was picked from 33 entries because of its use of prefab construction (each unit is one module fabricated in Brooklyn and hoisted in place, per the rendering at bottom), the subtle design features (setbacks, brick colors, massing), the large windows and tall ceilings that give the apartments plenty of natural light, and the creative and flexible use of space. Construction is planned to start by the end of the year with completion in 2015.