About SMARTSPACE SOMA

Location: San Francisco, California
Developer: Panoramic Interests
Designer: Ken Lowney, Lowney Architecture
Size: 3,750 square feet

After four years of research, experimentation, and planning, Panoramic Interests has completed SMARTSPACE SOMA, its first prefab, micro-apartment project in the United States. The 23-unit, four-story rental project is a LEED Platinum–rated, car-free development on a 3,750-square-foot parking lot in the SoMa district of San Francisco.

The firm’s ethos of “small space, big design” is evident in the numerous details of the 295-square-foot units: a TableBed, which converts a queen-size bed into a dining room table for six; a SMARTBench, which combines a window seat with a café table; ceiling-height storage and engineered closet systems; operable bay windows, nine-foot ceilings, and ample natural light; premium sustainable finishes; the highest level of sound-proofing and seismic engineering; super-efficient energy use and low-flow plumbing fixtures; and a solar hot water system and a naturally ventilated rain-screen exterior.