Mixed Reality Living Spaces

From: https://www.youtube.com/

Rent to Own.ph: Virtual reality living? In a world where living space becomes tinier and tinier, this may be the future. What do you think?

Tilt and Turn Windows

Hoover: While on a recent trip, we were amazed at the windows in our hotel that open two ways. You can tilt it or turn it outwards using the same handle. It was even double glazed for noise reduction. Read on.

from: http://www.innotech-windows.com and http://www.swissshade.com

Tilt + Turn Windows achieve exceptional energy efficiency, air tightness, water resistance and sound control. Innovative European style Tilt + Turn Windows also provide excellent draft free ventilation and high levels of security. They are also easy to operate and are conveniently easy to clean.

www.renttoown.ph

NYC’s First Micro Apartment Tower

From: http://www.dezeen.com/

Rent to Own.ph: This is the answer crowded urban cities are giving to the need for habitable spaces for their ballooning populations.

www.renttoown.ph

New York architecture firm nArchitects has released new photos of itsmodular, micro-unit residential building that is intended to serve as a "systemic new paradigm" for cities facing an affordable housing crisis.

www.renttoown.ph

Formerly known as My Micro NY, the nine-storey building has been renamed Carmel Place. It is located in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighbourhood.

Totalling 35,000 square feet (3,250 square metres), the tower contains 55 units that range in size from 250 to 370 square feet (23 to 34 square metres). The tall, narrow building is composed of four thin, stepped volumes that are clad in varying shades of grey bricks.

www.renttoown.ph

The interior photographs show bright studios with sliding glass doors, Juliet balconies and ceiling heights measuring over nine feet (2.7 metres). The firm worked with the company Resource Furniture to create a built-in piece that combines a sofa, bed and storage, so the living room can be converted into a bedroom.

"NArchitects designed the interior of the units to create a sense of spaciousness, comfort and flexibility," said the Brooklyn-based firm, which was founded in 1999 by Eric Bunge and Mimi Hoang.

www.renttoown.ph

"Within a compact footprint, the architect and developer team prioritised providing residents with as much volume, light, air and views out to the neighbourhoods as possible," it added.

The modular units are made of steel frames and concrete slabs. The firmprefabricated the units off-site in Brooklyn, in turn speeding up the construction process, which was documented in a video.

www.renttoown.ph

Work on the modules began in 2014, and on-site construction started last March. Construction is slated to be completed this March, and the first tenants are scheduled to move in that month.

Leasing is currently underway. More than 60,000 applications have already been received from potential tenants, according to the firm.

The New York Times reports that a majority of the units will have a monthly rent of $950 (approximately £600), which is considered a bargain in Manhattan. The median rental price for a one-bedroom Manhattan apartment is currently $3,400 (approximately £2,200), according to aBloomberg report.

www.renttoown.ph

"NArchitects  designed exterior and interior spaces with the goal of creating a systemic new paradigm for housing in New York City and other cities with similar demographic and affordability challenges," the firm said.

Though the rental units are intended for low- and middle-income tenants, the building offers amenities more commonly associated with luxury apartment buildings.

Shared amenities include a gym, lounge, community room, and roof terrace. The building also offers bicycle storage, a tenant storage room, and storage lockers that are dispersed throughout the interior.

www.renttoown.ph

With more people living alone, the architects believe there is a large market for micro-apartments. In New York, however, city regulations require that residential units be a minimum of 400 square feet (37 square metres) — regulations that were waived for Carmel Place.

"The city's housing codes have not kept up with [the city's] changing population, and currently do not allow apartments smaller than 400 square feet, nor an entire building of micro-units," said the firm.

www.renttoown.ph

The project was developed with the support of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. It was backed by the real estate company Monadnock Development.

The nArchitects design was chosen through a 2012 competition organised by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. The competition invited designers to propose micro dwellings that could serve as a new model for affordable housing, particularly for one- and two-person households.

www.renttoown.ph

New York is the midst of a housing boom, with rental and condominium towers cropping up throughout the city. Many have been designed by famous architects, including Zaha Hadid, Bjarke Ingels and Álvaro Siza.

Architect Steven Holl has bemoaned the growing presence of supertall residential towers for the ultra-wealthy in Dezeen, calling them "profane spires". Aaron Betsky echoed that thought, writing "Manhattan is theirs, we just get to admire it".

HARBOUR ATTIC APARTMENT BY GOSPLAN

from: http://design-milk.com/

Rent to Own.ph: Compact and utilitarian. Keeping it simple wins again!

www.renttoown.ph

Located in Camogli, a village near Genoa, Italy, the Harbour Attic is a relatively small holiday apartment in an attic above an old fisherman’s harbor. Designed by Gosplan, the 35 square meter (approx. 377 sq ft) apartment makes the most of the room it has by providing all the necessities into a smartly-designed, scaled-down space complete with two bedrooms, studio, living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

www.renttoown.ph

With not much floor surface and a gambrel roof, careful attention had to be paid to the layout. It also meant that each built-in piece had to have the ability to be stored away when not in use.

www.renttoown.ph

As you can see, the kitchen disappears when not in use, becoming a countertop or storage surface.

www.renttoown.ph

The wooden floors have a light, almost gray stain that shows up a little darker on the cabinetry. That same gray is carried throughout the apartment.

www.renttoown.ph

www.renttoown.ph

Wait till you see what this space becomes when it’s needed…

www.renttoown.ph

A second bedroom! Lift the hatch to expose an additional bed for guests.

www.renttoown.ph

www.renttoown.ph

www.renttoown.ph

www.renttoown.ph

Not Just Another Door

Hoover: Let's face it, doors are almost always the least thought about in any home design. Perhaps these new ideas will jumpstart a creative door trend!

1. SLIDING BARN DOORS

from: http://freshome.com

In most homes, space is the highest commodity and what better way to gain space than to remove your doors? While removing your doors may seem drastic, instead of totally removing your doors, how about removing the door swing that takes up space to open and close your doors? Johnson Hardware has invented home interior door hardware that acts like a barn door to slide across your opening, instead of using a swing and hinge hardware set. Take a look at how wall mounted hardware can save space in your home and provide you with a room that is more functional and spacious.

www.renttoown.ph

L41 House Packs A Lot Into 220 Square Feet

from: http://www.treehugger.com

Rent to Own.ph: Tiny homes at 22 square feet can be really beautiful if done properly and efficiently. Simplification is the future of housing. 

Once again we see how in architecture and design, regulation drives innovation; when Vancouver allows backlane housing, we get an explosion of ideas and prototypes. Architect Michael Katz and designer Janet Corne offer the L41 ("all for one") that squeezes everything you need for comfortable living into 220 square feet. According to the Tyee, It is designed to "tread lightly on this earth" and answer the question "how small can we build a home and keep it delightful?"

www.renttoown.ph

Fujiwarramuro Architects’ Skinny Nada House

From: http://inhabitat.com/

Rent to Own.ph: Another skinny house in a tiny lot, more proof that any space can be livable.

www.renttoown.ph

Japanese firm Fujiwarramuro Architects' Nada House is a narrow and minimalist home sandwiched between two buildings in downtown Kobe. Squeezed onto a small 397 square-foot lot, the skinny three-story multi-family home builds up to make the most of its tiny urban footprint. To maximize the amount of natural light in the house, the architects created an innovative series of slatted openings to allow a column of light to pass through from the roof skylights to the first floor.

www.renttoown.ph

Clad in timber, Fujiwarramuro Architects' skinny house rises high above its neighbors in the residential area of the crowded Nada district.

www.renttoown.ph

The communal spaces including the living room, dining room and kitchen, are located on the second floor.

www.renttoown.ph

The kid's bedroom and master bedroom are situated one floor above.

www.renttoown.ph

A ladder provides access to the roof from a loft space in the master bedroom.

www.renttoown.ph

A column of light filters through the center of the house, passing through slatted openings carved into the floors and furniture.

www.renttoown.ph

The white walls, tall ceilings, and large gaps successfully create an illusion of space in the narrow house.

www.renttoown.ph

Stairs are located at the rear of the house.