More developers want your next home to be a micro-unit

Given the potential market for affordable apartments, particularly in urban locations, developers increasingly are interested in building micro-unit projects.

Near the Districts Logan Circle, developer Brook Rose is planning an eight-story apartment building containing 38 units, of which 32 are micro-units ranging in size from 280 to 350 square feet. Rising behind three existing rowhouses on Church Street NW, the project might not include parking if the Board of Zoning Adjustment approves in which case any tenant with a car will not receive a street parking permit.

(Roger K. Lewis for The Washington Post)

A look at some of our favorite images of the week.

The former Latham Hotel at 30th and M Streets in Georgetown might be transformed into a mixed-use building containing more than 100 micro-units. And the JBG Companies, according to a company source, is exploring several future projects in which micro-units would be included.

You might be thinking that micro-unit is just another term for efficiency apartment. Why this new, trendy terminology?

A micro-unit is, in fact, a very small apartment, typically smaller in floor area than a one-bedroom apartment and smaller than many efficiency and studio apartments. A micro-unit can be comparable in size to a hotel room.

One-bedroom apartments rarely are smaller than 500 square feet, while efficiency apartments usually range in size from 350 to 450 square feet. Micro-units commonly encompass 250 to 350 square feet. Its worth noting that under District regulations, the floor area of a dwelling in a multi-unit building generally must be at least 220 square feet.

Clearly, compactness characterizes the micro-unit trend. But other attributes differentiate micro-unit development from conventional apartment development.

As a Google-based mosaic of images shows, micro-unit interiors can be more inventively configured and elaborately designed than many efficiency apartments. Intended to accommodate one and perhaps two individuals, micro-units often include built-in furniture and storage systems, plus a complete bathroom and efficiently configured kitchen. With greater-than-average ceiling height, a micro-unit can feel relatively spacious and offer a sleeping loft floating above a small portion of the space.

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More developers want your next home to be a micro-unit