Pico-dwelling

Photos: faircompanies.com

So you’ve heard of the eight-room, 420-square-foot studio apartment in New York, but Seattle engineer Steve Sauer’s 182-square-foot home may have that beat.

Utilizing various stacking functions, Sauer converted a basement storage unit into a micro-home with eight different useful spaces.

He calls it the “Pico-dwelling,” which refers to the metric prefix that denotes tiny to the negative 12th factor. The efficient space includes a kitchen, bathroom, two sleeping areas, bicycle storage, and a convertible dining table that can seat up to six people.

As the video tour demonstrates, the home is strong and durable, and every surface can support a huge amount of weight. Of course that means it wasn’t cheap to build.

“Sauer invested upwards of $50,000 in the materials used to build up the place, which he did himself,” Fast Company reports.

Many of the pico-dwelling features were made using materials from IKEA, others Sauer had custom built, like the soaker tub, which when not in use, stays hidden behind a trapdoor.

Pico-dwelling-1

Speaking to Fast Company, Sauer says he hopes to one day design an entire pico-dwelling apartment building.

“The world has always seen luxury as big, especially in America. I just get a kick out of using the smallest thing I can to get somewhere, pushing those engineering limits,” he said.

Pico-dwelling-2

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