One Room Mansion

One Room Mansion explores compact living as a viable and necessary 21st-century residential dwelling option for people of all ages and incomes. Inspired by a Japanese concept, the exhibition explores the possibilities associated with individual living spaces grouped with generous communal amenities. This simple concept could provide a more economical supply to meet the increasing demand for housing near transit, restaurants, and workplaces, as society transitions from a suburban, car-oriented lifestyle to an urban, low carbon, one. Paring down the private living space needed by each individual while investing in shared space among residents can turn a single room into an entire mansion!

Curated by Aeron Hodges AIA and A. Quinton Kerns, the exhibition will transform BSA Space into a simulation of a co-living building with compact apartments connected by corridors. Practical living areas and innovative work, laundry, and storage space, as well as indoor and ‘outdoor’ common areas will be highlighted.

Visitors will be encouraged to explore some of the space-saving innovations that make these housing units feasible options for singles and small families. Informed by the history of urban housing in general, the exhibition will explore the lack of housing supply for small households today and will showcase current demographic, economic, and design research to present spiraling neighborhood rental cost data specific to Boston.

Exploring the uhü
As a temporary exhibition piece, the Urban Housing Unit (uhü), joined One Room Mansion for part of November and December. The uhü is a prototype of a new modular housing concept, intended to serve as a model and conversation-starter for the future of housing in Boston. It was designed by LiveLight and the Boston Society of Architects/AIA in partnership with the Mayor’s Housing Innovation Lab and the BSA Foundation. Explore the unit in depth through graphics and video currently featured in the One Room Mansion exhibition at BSA Space, and then visit the actual unit at District Hall (75 Pier Four Blvd, Boston) until early January. Click here for more details about the uhu’s tour across the city and current hours and location, or take a virtual tour of the uhü here.

Focus on Housing
In conjunction with One Room Mansion, the BSA and BSA Foundation invite you to join conversations around the future of housing in Boston. These conversations, hosted by BSA committees, will explore various aspects of housing—from solutions for homelessness to universal design. All conversations take place at BSA Space (290 Congress St, 2nd floor) from 6:00–8:00 pm, unless otherwise indicated.

January 10, 2017–Housing First: Video Shorts and Discussion
BSA Committee on Homelessness

January 12, 2017–Beer and Brainstorming: The Urban Living Room
Emerging Professional Network, WHAT’S IN

January 19, 2017–[One] Room for All: Can ‘Compact’ be ‘Compliant’?
BSA Access Committee

January 25, 2017–Solutions for Attainable City Living: Thinking Small
BSA Housing Committee

January 30, 2017–Designing Boston: Parochialism vs. Production
Designing Boston

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Special thanks to

• Boston Modern Furniture (primary furniture supplier)
  committed to good design​
• Payne | Bouchier
  Fine builders​
• Tuft & Needle
  honest business with heart
• Segis
  "alive", concrete, practical design​
• Dr. Sofa
  Total furniture solutions​

Very special thanks to The New England Regional Council of Carpenters for generous design and installation support.