20 Aug 2013

Downtown Seattle’s First Modular Apartment

photo cred | UrbnLivn

Seattle is getting creative with their housing arrangements these days from expansions of apartment building in Capitol Hill, renovated studios, and even “apodments” which have caused a little bit of controversy in the city.

‘N’ Habit has created these new homes resembling rectangle boxes to be set up in the city for lease. While they look unusual on the outside, the inside is actually pretty nice.

Billed as the first modular apartment project in downtown Seattle, ‘N’ Habit will be composed of 49 prefabricated units that are stacked side-by-side and on top of each other to form a seven-story building at 2217 Third Ave (between Bell and Blanchard) in Belltown.

Modular homes have been part of the American real estate market for years and I can easily find modular home builders near me if I needed to. However, modular apartments are a concept that is new to most people.

In case you were not already aware, modular buildings (sometimes referred to as prefabricated buildings) are buildings made up of components manufactured on assembly lines in factories that are then assembled on-site in a variety of arrangements. Before assembling, modular components can be fitted with the necessary connection (plugs and switches) to power different appliances of the home. A separate arrangement can be made for a TV and a set-top box with a subscription (see more here) because they are often mounted on a wall. This could be done easily by using appropriate tools and machines.

The machinery and equipment required for the assembly are often used only for a short time to set up the modular arrangement, and it is usually enough to rent them out for the job. Such equipment, if bought for this purpose, can also be auctioned off on websites like Grays (see here for more) once the intended work is complete and the machinery is no longer required.

Modular buildings can be constructed using modular parts such as walls, frames, doors, ceilings, and windows, or a number of complete prefabricated modular building units. With this in mind, prefabricated buildings can be used to create modular office space, housing, and various other types of constructions.

With modular buildings soaring in popularity all over the world, it will be interesting to see what else the future holds for prefabricated construction.

‘N’ Habit, a project by Seattle-based Daly Partners LLC, is slated to open around December and began pre-leasing over the weekend. The developer has parked one of the finished units in a parking lot across the street to serve as a temporary showroom and leasing office.

Would you be up for living in a rectangular box or is that too confining for you?

A rendering of the modular units by ‘N’ Habit when it is installed and integrated

[Source]