Millennial Community Center & Micro Apartments
The Community Center of the Millennial Marketers Micro Apartments aims to fulfill all of the day-to-day needs of its residents that cannot be met by their individual units, which are only 300 square feet and contain only the basic components of an apartment and home office. To fill these needs, there is a large kitchen, plenty of common lounge space, a technology center where residents can use computers and plotters, and meeting rooms with audio-visual equipment.
The community center of this Chicago, Illinois apartment complex is inspired by connection, which the space aims to provide to all who enter. Whether residents are
hosting a dinner party, meeting with clients, or simply working in the lounge or technology center, they are sure to connect with many of their neighbors as well as visitors to the apartment community. These connections are visually represented by grids of hexagons found throughout the space.
Lighting Design was a major focus in this project, which followed the guidelines for the Eaton Lighting Student Design Competition. All specified lighting and lighting controls are either Eaton Lighting products or custom fixtures with Eaton Lighting bases. Lighting was selected to improve work spaces, and make them more usable during both day and night by adding stronger ambient lighting as well as additional task lighting.
The Micro Apartments of the Millennial Marketers complex help residents to maximize the uses of their space. Designed to function as not only a studio apartment for living and entertaining, but also as an office for millennials starting their own marketing companies, these 300 sq. ft. apartments have a sleek, modern look, and are packed with flexible furniture and storage. A bookshelf is tucked above the dropped portion of the ceiling; sofas and work surfaces pull and fold out of casework along the walls, and a Murphy bed can be pulled down, landing to be supported by the shelves that are mounted on the bed’s base during the daytime. Chairs used in the office can also be flipped and locked together to create a small coffee table when entertaining. Most surfaces within the apartment have magnetic, dry erase finishes in order to maximize the space during the work day. Employees can make notes on any nearby surfaces to remember for later, or doodle on the walls during breaks to relieve stress.
Millennials tend to be entrepreneurial, and like to live minimalist lifestyles. This was why I chose to focus the millennial micro apartments on the needs of entrepreneurial marketers. Though the space is small, it packs a big multi-purpose punch. Any space that is not used to hide the apartment’s furniture is used as personal storage.
The artificial lighting within the apartment is intended to be used sparingly, because the windows span the height and length of one wall in this space. This natural lighting provides comforting views of the outdoors and warm light across the achromatic finishes that could otherwise feel cold. Recessed can lighting combined with modern pendant light fixtures create multiple options for light levels when daylighting is low.
