Carmel Place was built in response to the current housing crisis facing New York. Part of the City’s New Housing Marketplace Plan, it was selected for construction through the adAPT NYC competition to address changing demographics, especially the trend towards small households. The project tests the viability of reducing the minimum size of apartments (from 400 to 300 square feet) while balancing the need for greater social space. 55 rental apartments, ranging in area from 260-360 square feet net, are complemented by generous shared amenities dispersed throughout the building, encouraging social interaction between neighbors. The apartment interiors offer abundant light, fresh air, high ceilings and significant storage space, demonstrating new possibilities for micro-living that, through thoughtful design, does not sacrifice quality of life.
Carmel Place has been internationally celebrated as a new housing prototype, and for its groundbreaking use of modular construction, which reduced construction time and noise and enabled a construction tolerance of 1/8”. On the heels of Carmel Place, the City revised the Zoning Code to encourage modular construction and diversify housing options with micro-units.