On Thursday, January 29, 2015, CHPC visited the Capsys production site in the Brooklyn Navy Yard to see what’s currently rolling down the line–unit modules for the MyMicroNY apartment building that will go up in Manhattan this year.
We were joined by a cohort of graduate students from the Georgia Institute of Technology Schoolof Architecture, led by Professor Michael Gamble. Gamble’s students are participating in a three-year initiativethat synthesizes efficiency and innovative design.
Capsys specializes in modular building of various sizes and uses, from townhouses to supportive housing. Ourgroup of visitors received an introduction to the MyMicro building from Capsys staff before enjoying a guided tour through the units currently in production. Each of the units, which will be studio apartments ranging in size from 270 to 350 square feet in size, takes about two weeks to complete from start to finish. Capsys predicts that once on-site construction begins, the building will be complete within two-and-one-half weeks.
Later in the day, CHPC joined the Georgia Tech cohort at the showroom of Resource Furniture, which furnished the micro-unit of our Making Room museum exhibition and willbe outfitting the MyMicro model unit. Deputy Director Sarah Watson provided the students with the background and principles ofMaking Room. With a clear picture ofthe types of households they are serving and the way those households are really living, the studentshave the best understanding of their needs. That way, they can design spaces that residents can use most effectively.
We are always excited to seeMaking Room principles in action, and our visit to Capsys offered a tangible result of our work.