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The pod squad
Internal press release
08/10/2008
Abito is a nine storey project of 256 "micro pods" which, despite gloomy market conditions, is sold out. Like many British cities, Manchester heaves with unsold apartments as buyers struggle to get mortgages. Yet young professionals, who've been able to get on the property ladder and secure themselves a stylish city base, have bought Abito apartments, which measure 353 square feet each.
Describing them as "intelligent living spaces" could be considered a cynical marketing ploy to shift poky apartments, but a visit to Abito with its designer, Jasper Sanders of BDP, Europe's largest interdisciplinary practice of architects, designers and engineers, reveals a neat design by a passionate advocate of smarter 21st century living. "Rather than a standard list of accommodation, we've thought about this as a place to live and have put people at the heart of the design," says Sanders, who has seen many examples of compact living but who believes that this design stands out: "I often look at others and see mistakes. Our idea was to super-condense everything. We've removed dead space from corridors and put it back into living space.
Corridor is a dirty word at Abito - where the buzz phrase is "flexible space." The front entrance of each unit opens on to a "bedroom" where a foldaway double bed, which drops down in seconds, is concealed behind wall storage space. At the apartmentn's centre, a "pod" conceals a utility cupboard with washer-dryer, wardrobe and bathroom with moveable walls, which can alter the living space. "Research shows that people use their bathroom for under 5% of the time, so why pay a mortgage on it?" askes Sanders. The kitchen, with dishwasher, fridge with freezer box, hob and oven, is also housed insider the pod, leaving the rest of the apartment devoted to living space that seems larger, thanks to a 3.3 metre high windows and spacious balcony.
This Japanese inspired design created by developer, Ask Life, has resulted in a high density but low cost product. Manchester's smallest one bedroom apartments intially sold for £85,000, addressing the need for affordable accommodation, not only for the more affluent of the city's 90,000 students, but also for graduates the council wants to retain. Marketing executive, Ann-Marie Duffy says, "They want to keep the many graduates who've studied here but can't stay on as they can't afford to buy. They are the genious generation."
Abito offers a rare opportunity to buy a base moments from the city centre. Two thirds of buyers are graduates, most of whom earn less than £25,000 and tend to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel to work. Buyers cited affordaability and value for money as their main incentives and Sanders explains how Ask Life kept the development low cost without compromising on style or quality: "There is no choice of work surface. If they can, buyers will choose other colours but this impacts upon cost. We've used good quality wooden surfaces that are hard wearing."
Outside, the pods look identical. Inside, owners have cutomised their homes. One has mirror-covered walls giving a feeling of space. Many pods house singles but can be shared by couples - or even more people. "Initially, we included a ladder up to the space above the pod which can be extra sleeping space, but we thought that was a bit much", says Sanders. You can even exercise by running circuits around the central pod.
Having won 10 awards, including one from RIBA, Abito is entered for this year's What House? awards. Ask Life is now building a similar development at Salford Quays, where 38 apartments remain for sale from around £100,000. The company has outline permission for a Bolton project and hopes to roll it out to other cities.
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