“If strictly speaking, a micro unit is something that’s around 250 to 400 square feet, and they are manifesting in various forms,” says Frances Anderton, author of Common Ground: Multi-Family Housing in Los Angeles and host of the radio show DnA: Design and Architecture. This could mean ADUs, tiny homes, dorms, co-living, and even some retirement homes. Although small living is often met with mixed reviews, there’s a case to be made that this kind of setup could be—and maybe should be—a standard for everyone.
“Because of climate change, if we want to live in a decent world in the next decades, architecture has quite a big role to play,” says Matthieu Torres, an architect based in Paris who lives in a roughly 258-square-foot apartment. He purchased the unit in an unlivable condition and used his background in architecture to create a lofted sleeping area, a small closet, a bathroom, and a kitchen. “Many experts actually recommend that we stop building,” he says. Currently, the built environment contributes about 40% of global CO2 emissions between construction and operations.
Still, with an ever-growing population, ceasing construction completely isn’t always possible, so building less becomes one of the next-best choices. “There’s no need to be the cleverest man in the world to know that there is less impact if your space is smaller,” Torres quips. Smaller homes use fewer materials, minimize construction waste, require less energy to heat and cool, and reduce urban spread, which decreases the need for cars. “It’s just a simple fact of scaling your energy and material needs,” he says. Since they often cost less to build, micro units have a higher probability of using high-quality materials.
Of course, micro apartments can be undeniably tight, but there are many solutions that make this arrangement more comfortable. Consider co-living, which Anderton describes as the “close cousin” of micro apartments. “They’re all micro units,” she says. “However, they are micro units offset by shared amenities.” She points to a building in Los Angeles, called Treehouse, as a model. Here, residents have the option of renting a room in a shared flat or a private studio—all with a relatively small footprint—and they get access to multiple amenities like an art studio, a recording studio, a gym, a library, a rooftop, a dining hall, and a lounge. Projects like these mean that each resident, roughly 50 people, gets access to the type of spaces often only found in larger homes without having to build 50 mansions, which are not only unsustainable, but often unaffordable to many.