Millennials are drawn to the bright lights of big cities, but with a re-imagined take on the apartment, that city could be on the West Coast today, and the East Coast tomorrow.
The Kasita, a smart technology-enabled, mobile apartment or “apodment,” as coined by CityLab, allows tenants to move their households to urban locales with the tap of a finger, whether across town or across the country. Renters can select their destination with an app, and a “standard big rig truck” arrives to move the cube—no moving boxes required, according to Kasita’s website.
At a microscopic 208 square feet (with 10-foot ceilings), the Kasita remarkably packs several sought-after amenities into its limited space , from an intelligent, queen-size mattress that's stowed away when not in use, to a walk-in shower, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. The cantilevered, glass unit, housed in a rack with other units, is also equipped with hands-free voice command and a tile system that provides customized storage. The rack is connected to the municipal grid, distributing electricity and water to each Kasita as they move in or out of the rack.
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The best part? With a Kasita, millennials won’t have to pay a premium for big city living. The Kasita will rent at half the market rate for a studio, a reduction made possible by “an innovative land and business model,” reads Kasita’s website, that aims to partner with communities. That affordability, coupled with enhanced mobility, makes a Kasita almost too-good-to-be-true for the scores of millennials seeking greater employment opportunities while contending with stagnant incomes and student loan debt.
The first of the Kasita developments is set to unveil this spring in Austin, Texas and is expected to expand to population centers like Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C. in 2017.
Tour the inside of the infinitesimal “apodment” below:
Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia's online associate editor. Renting a Kasita would finally rid her of the Willem Dafoe hiding under her bed.
wow!! its well decorated… and looking nice