No link??

http://www.vancouver-real-estate-direct.com/news/labels/Reliance%20Properties.html

I live in Vancouver.
These lofts are in a upcoming, but still awful, scary, neighborhood. It was low-incoming housing (flop house) until it was shut down for fire code violations.
People are UPset these lofts were even made.
I support it. Because the neighborhood could use some gentrification.

Found this video of a tiny Hong Kong apartment while looking for more images of the Vancouver micro-lofts. The video is incredible.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/watch-tiny-transformer-apartment-video.php

@SLindley They're definitely controversial and I can understand-so many old low income residents are being converted into expensive condos and displacing those who can't afford to live anywhere else.

At the same time, I think this kind of housing provides a good option for people who are NOT on social assistance, but still can't afford to live in most downtown apartments. Those people deserve to have some kind of housing options as well.

Yeah, the area is bad-but it's not as scary as people think. For the most part, the people there will leave you alone. Woodwards is a huge turning point for that neighbourhood-it'll be interesting to see what happens over the next few years.

Politics aside, I think the design is really fresh and clever. I don't think a couple could comfortably live there without driving each other crazy, though.

"Micro-Loft" (n)
New marketing term for "Studio Apartment"

HA!

@greenish That video is AMAZING! Thanks for the link!

This rendering looks clever! Nice example of high design and high functionality resulting in no wasted space. Would like to see more new construction like this. I like to think that the developer is putting themselves in their clients' shoes--something that should happen more often in development or any other industry that is supposed to value the needs of the customer.

Vancouver's real estate market is stupendously overpriced, but its rental market is decent - you can get 1 bedrooms near to downtown for around $800 to $1000. So why would you live in a micro-loft in a not-too-great area?

This is a developer's way of milking the desperation of people priced out of condos in this insanely bubbly city.

Cities need more affordable family housing, not places that you couldn't even keep a cat in.

Does anyone know what type of flooring is pictured?

since when is $900 a month "reasonable" for living in a closet?! let's not forget that while this is nicely styled for a photo, if you don't have 3 carefully edited pieces of designer furniture it's not gonna look like this.
i live in vancouver (or i used to, until skyrocketing rents moved me out to new west) and it's ridiculous! let's be honest - this space will NOT make a home. another development targeted to trust fund art students. boo!

Why pay $725 when you could pay $900/mo? In my case, that $175 makes a big difference in how much money I can save, each month. Of course, safety is a priority for a single female, so I'd pay a bit more to be in a safer area (same thing I'm doing now - $50 for greater security). Or, I'd live farther out and take public transportation into work.

As to whether or not a space this small can be a "home": yeah, it totally can. There are ways of making shoebox apartments homey, if you use your imagination.

@asanchezm: it looks like a limed walnut, to me. Or a laminate approximating a limed walnut. Of course, it could also be a smoked oak, I can't tell, exactly.

I currently live in east vancouver(mt.pleasant neighborhood). And I'm renting an apartment nearly 3times the size for 700$
I find it funny how someone would choose to rent a brand new shoebox over an older more spacious place.
However, That place does look pretty well put together, and if that's what you're looking for, then all the better.

"High ceilings, pale floors, and large windows help to keep the space from feeling cramped..."

The images show a ceiling that's no more than 9' high, and probably closer to 8'.

No big deal.

I love the feel of this loft and especially love the light, European style flooring. It is a great use of space and makes the small space seem open and larger than what it is.

All relative. I pay $1550 in NYC for a 250 sq ft studio. And that's a decent deal.

I live in East Vancouver, and this project definitely interests me. And worries me. As someone who doesn't want to pay over $800 a month for rent (and who currently shares a 300 ft natural-light-free studio with her girlfriend), this definitely appeals to me as a real solution for living space. But I am concerned about the folks in the area who will be or have been displaced, and about housing costs becoming increasingly unreasonable for downtown living.

I lived for a few years in a similar-sized bachelor in Vancouver. It was in a house, likely not a legal suite. It's not ideal, but it's better than living with bad roommates.

I fully support the free market, and I think it's high time developers be permitted to build units this size. It's similar to a hotel room, and we don't consider those inhumane!

i don't see how it can be micro and a loft. isn't that an oxymoron? aren't lofts definitively larger than studios?

small space living is a challenge in north america. we're not accustomed to bedsits and the sort of tiny spaces that prevail in the rest of the world.

i was looking at screencaps of the apartment in "sympathy for lady vengeance" and almost lost my mind. not only is it as small as a child's bedroom, it's painted black with bright red accents.

It should be noted that you can rent in a better neighbourhood in Vancouver for $800 a month, with three times the space. My husband and I lived in an 800-square foot, south-facing, one-bedroom walk-up on West 10th near Hemlock for that much. You couldn't pay ME $800 a month to live on the Downtown Eastside.

@architexas Thanks!

@art Nice example of high design and high functionality resulting in no wasted space. Would like to see more new construction like this.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who hates bad floor plans. I love that my apartment has no hallways, no weird alcoves or nooks, no odd jogs in the wall, no closet for HVAC or a water heater (all centralized), nothing over-sized for the sake of it, etc.

My apartment is 230 square feet smaller than my previous one, but has 40 more USABLE square feet. Smaller was bigger (and cheaper, and way nicer!)

I don't buy 270sf as any sort of loft, but I do love the Murphy Bed with Murphy table inset! That is adorable!

I've never posted here before, but I'm considering grad studies at UBC next year, and people here seem to have a good working knowledge of the rental market in downtown Vancouver. I put it to you - what can I expect to pay for a reasonable studio apartment in the city, in a safe neighborhood that's not too far from transit and/or UBC?

highly controversial and over priced closets that will just end up pushing out more of hte people who have literally nowhere else to go. You can get far better and far bigger for that price, and in a neighbourhood that's so close to downtown that you'd think you were there (south false creek, oak/11th area, nice places with super simple commutes that probably take no longer to get to the downtown core than these 'lofts' in the DTES. The 'market' will sell anything, even a closet, if people think it's cool

It is really entertaining to be in New York and read about how this apartment is a shoe box and closet and look how well we could make this micro space work.

A micro space is 250 sq ft or less, aka a NYC studio apartment. This is a decent sized one bedroom equivalent.

My wife and i live in a beautiful heritage apartment in New Westminster less than a five minute walk from the skytrain. 1100 sq. ft., 800 dollars

There are a multitude of apartments in better parts of downtown Vancouver for less per square footage that these highly controversial "micro-lofts" (which part of it is a "loft" exactly?)

I personally wouldn't mind the murphy bed, but I couldn't live with the wet bath.

Yes, the prices are probably comparable to rent in New York or San Francisco. However, the median income of Vancouverites is much, much lower.

While this particular area (adjacent to the DTES--think SF's Tenderloin district, but with the highest concentration of drug activity in North America) is currently undergoing some much-needed gentrification, I still avoid going through this area at night.

malexa2, where are you living now? that might weigh heavily on the neighbourhood you choose (some neighbourhoods Vancouverites covet would seem seedy to Edmonton or Calgary standards). but to be closest to ubc, you could consider anything between campus and granville. i haven't been in vancouver for about four years now - when i was there $800 was about the cheapest you could find for a big one-bedroom on the westside. there are also loads and loads of basement suites near UBC.

I live in a small flat that could use the Murphy Bed with Murphy table inset I see here.
Can anyone give me the name?

In my personal opinion, small flats like this one (and my own 325sq feet, ie 30m2) are a stress that can be dealt with only if the flat is owned. This way you can own a home without bankrupting yourself, and you can plan to update to a bigger flat in a few years.
But renting such a small flat that is never yours is just pissing your money away to live in a shoebox.