“On a simplified basis, you really only have two variables in a real estate project: rent and cost. Rent will be determined by macro factors and the market,” Sperling says. “Unico's goal is to reduce hard construction costs through factory-controlled conditions and amortize soft costs by creating a single, scalable design. In addition, by shrinking the permitting time and, therefore, the time to market, we can reduce the overall delivery cost and achieve our goal of creating workforce housing that is affordable, eco-friendly, high-tech and modern.”

To create the 'inhabit' apartments, Unico partnered with two architecture firms: Mithun, an integrated design firm, and HyBrid Architecture, a design firm specializing in modern, sustainable prefabricated architecture. A pair of prototypes units (pictured) are on display through mid-November atop the roof park at Rainier Square, located mid-block on Fifth Avenue between Union and University Streets in Downtown Seattle. Tours are being held weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The two prototype units were built in a modular factory, Transform LLC, in Burlington, WA, and the interior design was provided by Seattle-based Vision Art. Both Mithun and HyBrid are known for their work in green and sustainable design, and they are not breaking from that tradition in designing Unico's modular housing units.

Environmentally friendly aspects of 'inhabit' include: engineered wood floors and framing that use less first-generation wood; double-paned, energy efficient windows; energy efficient heat pumps; dual-flush toilets; decking made of recycled plastic and cellulose; and flat roofs that will hold a green roof system to further reduce storm water runoff. Additionally, there is no on-site waste or pollution because the units are built in a factory, according to Unico, which will seek LEED certification from the US Green Building Council for its “inhabit” developments.

Unico has indentified potential sites in Portland and Seattle but has yet to put any property under contract, Sperling says. “If you can combine a modern, clean, efficient, compact design with high technology and eco-friendly, green construction, we think that's a pretty powerful marketing message for the generation we are trying to serve: echo-boomers who are unattached, mobile, more comfortable in an urban environment and in smaller spaces, and who spend more time out of the house than in it.”