Apartment Pods that Stack into Apt Buildings?

There is a national shortage of homes, record low interest rates during the pandemic coupled with more than a decade of under building created a supply and demand mismatch that pushed home prices higher. (CNN)

The U.S. has fallen behind by about 5.5M housing units over the past 20 years as builders failed to keep up with historical building trends. The gap is so deep it would take more than a decade to catch up. (CNN)

Home sales have boomed, active housing listings have dropped, and the median home sale price has surged. The number of active housing listings in the U.S. was at its lowest in at least 5 years in January 2022; that’s a 60% drop from 2020, just before COVID hit the U.S. (Federal Reserve).

In 2020, 46% of American renters spent 30% or more of income on housing, including 23% who spent at least 50% of their income on it. This met the Department of Housing and Urban Development’ definition of being “cost burdened.”

U.S. rents hit a record high for the 17th month in a row, bad news for anyone who doesn’t own.

Monthly payments on a typical mortgage are more than 75% higher than in 2019 (Zillow).

Deploying a process model of ‘doing one thing exceptionally well’ used by world-changing brands like In-n-Out Burger, Inc. and Southwest Airlines, Cassette was developed to transform the construction industry and more quickly address housing quality, availability, and affordability. Kaplan uses modular construction to impact the housing shortage by paralleling the production of housing in a factory with land preparation, which together can shave 30-50% off the construction schedule. Also, by converting 50% of building design toward a fixed product / fixed price model, Cassette plans to bring more predictability to construction.

“Cassette’s entire apartment units are manufactured in a factory then stacked quickly like LEGOs®,” said Founder/CEO Dafna Kaplan. “We are focused on standardizing the multifamily building process and making sure it works for every developer, every time, and that it is easy for any architect or contractor to use.”

Cassette’s first one-bedroom apartment pods are just under 600-square feet, and each includes an impeccably detailed bathroom, bedroom, laundry cabinet, double wardrobe, and chef’s kitchen. The interiors, designed by Hodgetts + Fung, feature a bedroom with a large clerestory window to draw in natural light and a sliding wall panel.

*Featured Image Courtesy: Cassette