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Modern forms of living

More and more micro apartments in the big cities

The post-war period was characterized by an economic upswing and an unprecedented increase in consumption – and that almost worldwide, not just in Switzerland. This was also noticeable in the apartments, which were getting bigger and better equipped. This trend continued until the 2000s when there was an increasing shortage of space in many cities such as Zurich, Geneva or Basel, and this development has already stopped in rural areas such as the Rhine Valley. Large apartments are becoming increasingly expensive and unaffordable. The topic of environmental protection is also a big issue, because living space has to be heated or supplied with light. But even during construction, more resources are used in the form of building materials. In addition, cities and communities are getting bigger and bigger, so that more natural areas have to be converted for building purposes.

No wonder, then, that large apartments are one of the biggest environmental killers. The CO2 balance, but also the overall ecological balance, looks worse with increasing space consumption. Together with the massively increasing prices, micro-apartments are becoming popular in more and more cities and regions. A look at Germany shows that Hanover is even planning the largest tiny house settlement in the world, and initiatives have also emerged in cities such as Berlin, Karlsruhe and Bremen. In the future there will probably be special plans for micro apartments and tiny houses in every larger city, but also in smaller communities.

What are micro apartments and tiny houses?
The idea of ​​particularly compact apartments and offices is not new. In 1972, the Nakagin Capsule Tower was built in Tokyo. Based on two conventional floors, there are 9 or 11 floors, which consist of several capsules with a size of 2.3 m × 3.8 m × 2.1 m. These are self-contained units for apartments or offices and can be replaced as a whole, for example in the event of a move, renovation or damage. Several capsules can also be combined. However, the project was not pursued further, so that it can still be seen in its original form today.

However, the idea of ​​building particularly small units has now caught on internationally in major cities. Micro apartments are characterized by the fact that they offer a lot of space in a small space. They are between 14 and 32 m² in size and often have a 1.5-storey structure, so that the sleeping area in particular, but also storage space, can be found on a half-high storey. Additional space is created by fold-out furnishings or particularly small versions of them. Many things are also used several times, for example a staircase to the mezzanine as a room divider with storage space or shelves. When it comes to equipment, however, no compromises have to be made. There are offers with very simple, but also those with luxury equipment, with underfloor heating throughout the apartment, Air conditioning and special ancillary services such as fitness studios or swimming pools. A tiny house has a similar structure, but is free-standing or in the style of a terraced house and can therefore also be combined with a property.

Sharing offers for living, working  and mobility
If you want to save even more space or use it for other purposes, you can share certain areas with others. This idea has long been widespread in offices, where several offices from different companies share a kitchenette, toilet facilities and corridors. This trend has also continued up to the shared office, in which the office space or even the workplace is shared with others. This is of particular interest to people who only work at certain times, for example from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office is used by others between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. or on certain days of the week. Here, too, the advantage is obvious. Since several people share one and the same space, both the rent and the ecological footprint are reduced.

The use of the same living space has also been standard in student flat-sharing communities for some time. More and more employees are also taking advantage of this advantageous opportunity. More and more landlords are opting for this new form of living and are creating small, lockable apartments, which often have their own small bathroom in addition to the room, but where the kitchen and a utility room are shared by several people. In this way, the space is used optimally, as in a flat share, but compared to a flat share, a greater distance to the flatmates and thus more privacy is preserved.

When it comes to means of transport, more and more people are sharing a vehicle. Here, too, the principle applies that costs as well as CO2 and resource consumption should be reduced. In addition, car sharing also saves on the rent for garages and thus space. People decide among themselves who uses the vehicle and when. In particular, those who only use a vehicle rarely or always at the same times are a good candidate for car sharing.

Cohousing as an extended offer
If you want to turn a saved investment directly into something luxury, you can extend the offer of communal living and utility space. In addition to large kitchens with dining areas, alternatively also with separate dining rooms, various activities are offered that are jointly purchased and operated.

Common examples of such common spaces include workshops, libraries, home theaters, gyms, saunas, or swimming pools. If an employer enables its employees to live in such shared accommodation, their own day-care center or other childcare option is often integrated. In theory, there are no limits to the imagination and interests of the residents. Such extended offers can also be used as a tenant, where the costs are settled with a higher basic rent or a usage fee.

Are sharing projects only important in the big city?
Rising rents and protection of nature do not stop at the borders of big cities. The cost of living and rents are also increasing in smaller towns and villages. The ecological footprint roughly corresponds to that of a large city. This means that sharing programs are becoming increasingly interesting, even in smaller towns, communities and villages. Since the demands in rural areas are often different, the concepts there are also different.

While micro-apartments are often created in big cities due to the lack of space, a tiny house in the country is more interesting. Here the tenant or owner does not have to do without their own property. But complete projects with micro-apartments, shared communal areas and car-sharing projects are also interesting. This shows a major advantage of this relatively new form of living. The overall concepts behind it are as flexible as the room design. Some supermarkets that are building apartments on their open spaces have also noticed this.

Are micro apartments and tiny houses only for permanent residents?
The answer to this question is clearly “No!”. If you only work in a city during the week and want to save yourself the daily, time-consuming and nerve-wracking journey home or work, a small side apartment is also a good idea. The same applies to temporary assignments far away from the actual workplace. There is also potential here for companies that build and equip micro-apartments or tiny houses especially for their employees, or at least rent them permanently. Even with a relatively low occupancy, this could be worthwhile as an alternative to expensive hotels.

But even those who need a new apartment for private reasons can rely on micro-apartments. After a separation or divorce, you are often left without furniture and sometimes also without large disposable assets. Numerous micro-apartments are offered already furnished, often with an already activated internet connection integrated in the rental price. This allows you to live quickly and inexpensively without having to compromise on everyday luxury or getting stressed.

How can investors and landlords benefit from sharing programs?
Like the tenants or owners, investors and landlords can also benefit from modern forms of living. Because while the former benefit from lower total rents and lower maintenance costs, higher profits can be achieved per square meter than with classic apartments. Since the number of tenants is also increased with the same total area, less negative economic consequences can be expected even in the event of rent losses.

Anyone who offers this modern form of living in the country or in larger cities without a housing shortage also has a major advantage and thus good arguments compared to other landlords and thus has better rental opportunities.

How do self-storage warehouses help with modern forms of living?
Cellars, storage rooms and cupboards are often particularly full – although many things are only used very rarely. If you live in a micro-apartment or tiny house, you don’t have that much space to store things, despite the best use of space. Do the remaining things have to be thrown away now?

Just as things are shared in modern forms of living, working and driving, so can storage. With self-storage warehouses, large warehouses are divided into small areas that start at just one cubic meter (1 x 1 x 1 meter). If you need more space, you can also use larger bearings. Large warehouses can offer more than 50 square meters of space and thus accommodate the average content of a four-room apartment. Everything that does not fit in the apartment can be accommodated there. And that permanently, secured against burglary as well as against environmental influences.

Small warehouses are also interesting for companies for various reasons. If you share your office or workplace with someone else, you have to store various things temporarily if the room is used by someone else. In addition, companies have to keep certain documents for a longer period of time without using them. There is no space for this in a shared office, or at least not everyone should have access to the documents. In a self-storage warehouse, which is permanently accessible, these documents can be stored in a space-saving, inexpensive manner and for a longer period of time.

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