Maja Golović
https://doi.org/10.60152/l1rfyslb
Abstract: Contemporary housing challenges related to urban growth, housing crises and changing lifestyle patterns call for sustainable solutions, among which micro housing is increasingly prominent. However, micro apartments are often designed with a focus on quantitative spatial reduction, while qualitative aspects of living and long-term functionality are frequently overlooked. This paper analyzes the quality of micro apartments through the potential for transformation and regeneration of functional zones, living, sleeping, and service areas, with particular emphasis on the living zone as the primary space for adaptation and element substitution. The theoretical framework is based on the ideas of the Metabolist movement, especially the principles of sustainability, modularity, and regeneration, reinterpreted in contemporary architectural practice.The assumption is that micro apartments offering greater spatial flexibility, especially through the transformation of elements within the living zone, provide higher living quality and better adaptability to contemporary needs. The methodological approach is based on case studies of three carefully selected examples: a historical one (Habitat 67 – one residential module), a contemporary international one (Carmel Place, New York – nARCHITECTS) and a current local micro apartment (Apartment in Tomaša Ježa Street – 46th Salon of Architecture, authors Dejan Todorović and Milena Kordić). The analysis enables insight into various spatial design approaches and the long term sustainability of micro housing. The aim of the paper is to contribute to the scientific and professional discourse on micro housing quality within the context of a sustainable urban future, emphasizing the importance of spatial flexibility and the architect’s role in creating intelligent and adaptable solutions within limited floor areas.
Keywords: micro apartment, spatial flexibility, space transformation, regeneration of functional zones, modularity
How to cite this Paper (Harvard referencing style):
Golović, M. (2025) ‘Flexible Spaces in Micro Apartments: Regeneration and Transformation of Functional Zones in Contemporary Architecture‘, in R. Bogdanović (ed.) On Architecture — Crosscutting and Fusion of Disciplines, Proceedings. Belgrade, Serbia: STRAND, pp. 296–306.
See publication On Architecture (2025) Conference Proceedings