Nano living is quickly catching on as an affordable, space-saving solution for student housing. In an effort to meet the increasing demands for on-campus accommodation, Canada’s University of British Columbia (UBC) has recently unveiled designs of its surprisingly spacious “Nano suites”, measuring only 140 sq ft (around 13 sq m) in area.
Despite its small size, this incredibly innovative dorm room features all kinds of modern amenities, including 24/7 high-speed internet as well as an attached bathroom equipped with a shower, toilet and a sink. Each of these units houses a kitchenette, complete with a hob and a sink. According to the developers, the study space, which is approximately seven by three feet in dimensions, doubles as an expansive bed. Speaking about the project, Andrew Parr, the head of student housing at UBC, said:
The desk is quite large. It stays level and becomes the base for the bed when it folds down, so you can leave your laptop and papers on it – it’s a neat feature… People are saying, ‘hey, I could imagine living here’.
A specially-designed wall-mounted shelf acts as a storage space, while an integrated clothes rail allows occupants to hang their garments. The university is planning to construct 70 of these nano-sized student homes by 2019, as part of the new Gage South Student Residence. Students living in the Nano suites will have access to a special games room, a fully-equipped fitness center, restaurants, study lounges, banks, bicycle storage and so on.
The Nano homes will be available for somewhere between $675 and $695, which is significantly less than the $1,100 rent students will have to pay for a 230 sq ft (or 21 sq m) studio in the year 2019. Parr added:
We know that the rents are the equivalent for what people could rent in Burnaby, East Van or Richmond – but these don’t have the hour or two of commuting per day to get to campus. This is close to a $5,000 per year savings per student, so it’s significant. This has a direct impact on us. Students coming into UBC are having a really hard time finding housing.
A prototype of the Nano student homes will be on display at the University of British Columbia, till April 1.
Source: University of British Columbia (UBC)
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