Inhabitat » ABITO

November 29, 2005

ABITO

by Sarah Rich

A company in the UK has developed a high rise apartment concept that is magnificently futuristic, yet so perfectly suited to the present-day lifestyle of modern young urbanites, it’s sort of amazing something like this hasn’t materialized until now.

Abito is a testament to the wonders of technology and the huge potential of small spaces. The template is a 347-sq-ft apartment with a central pod that serves all the functions that are traditionally distributed among a number of rooms.

One side of the pod contains a bathroom behind double doors; another has a cupboard with washer/dryer hookups. A third side contains a his and hers wardrobe and a utility console, and the fourth contains a kitchen unit featuring integrated fridge/freezer, a two-burner range, an oven/microwave/grill combo, and a waste sorter. Opposite the wardrobe is a bedroom wall with a fold-up bed. Atop the pod is space for an extra bed or additional storage (though there is a remarkable abundance of storage elsewhere). And every Abito apartment has a private balcony.

Besides being miraculously efficient, the Abito apartment is also stunningly beautiful, with mostly white and stainless steel finishes. The 10.5ft ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows appear to make the miniscule space feel deceptively ample. Priced just over $155,000USD, these little apartments cost significantly less than most one-bedrooms in Manchester, where the first Abito complex is slated to be built.

At this time the only apartment is the company’s prototype, which is being tested and perfected in a warehouse, but the units have been for sale for about a year. The brilliant concept is currently planned for several locations throughout the UK, though it seems like an obvious recipe for success among space-savvy urbanites just about anywhere.

+ www.abito.co.uk

all images from Abito website

6 Responses to “ABITO”

Trendoffice Says:

November 29th, 2005 at 5:47 pm

I like the building, but not the livingspaces - too little personality

tina Says:

November 29th, 2005 at 6:10 pm

it reminds me of buckminster fuller’s dymaxion house
http://www.thehenryford.org/dymaxion/index.html

Andrew from PHX Says:

November 29th, 2005 at 6:30 pm

The interior is too sparse to be interesting and too generic to be minimalist. Obviously needs some interior design/decorating help.
The concept is great tho, now they just need to move the kitchenette area and invent some folding dining furniture for the bedroom.
They need a floorplan for the apartment and also for the building on that website.

Marianna Says:

July 5th, 2007 at 10:45 am

Seems like a good idea for a college dormitory. I’m not sure if I’d want to actually buy one of these units though.

merrymom Says:

August 9th, 2007 at 11:03 pm

this is a great beginning for the much needed low income housing market, I would hope some enterprising young designer would take this plan and run with it, It would present the average low to medium income bracket buyer with a basic home, entirely built under the strictest housing requirements even more demanding that those of the stick built home, built not as cheep manufactured housing, but as a top quality family home, built to last forever, manufactured almost entirely under cover in a most financially sound way, each of the basic units would be designed to either stand alone as a cabin, or to be added onto with additional units, such as bedrooms or dining rooms, or a larger kitchen, to fit the buyers budget, or to be added later as the buyer’s finances allow.and his family grows. The units would present a very blank canvas for the enterprising buyer to decorate as they wish, doing it theirselves thus making the homes even more affordable. With careful designing these homes could really be top quality housing for those of us who would love a house, and don’t want the palace that most current builders are building these days,