One fine Monday morning not long ago, a 24-year old bank worker moved into an apartment space that was carved out of a London city centre shop window. He spent the next week doing Yoga, living and entertaining under the watchful eye of the passing public as part of a week-long experiment in affordable inner city housing. The bank clerk was Warren Bevis, whose name no one probably remembers. But people in the UK and in many other parts of the world remember the Microflat, Piercy Conner's highly-publicised solution to make high-density housing work in London. The Microflat is a good example of the firm's ingenuity in pursuing its primary interest: to explore sustainable and affordable housing solutions.

Architects Stuart Piercy and Richard Conner came up with the Microflat prototype as a solution to their own affordable housing problem. They were unable to find suitable housing in inner London that they and their employees could afford to buy. The one-bedroom Microflat measures just 32.5m², about two-thirds the size of an average city centre one-bedroom flat, and can potentially sell for less than €145,000, far less than the average one-bedroom. Taking inspiration from yacht design, the architects made use of every available inch of space, incorporating a small double bedroom, a pod containing a shower and toilet, storage space, and a kitchen / living area that provides access to a cosy balcony for two. Ceilings are 2.8 metres high to provide an enhanced feeling of space and maximise natural light from floor to ceiling windows. Besides being space efficient inside, its modular construction can be installed in spaces above commercial developments like supermarkets or public car parks. In developing the Microflat, Piercy Conner proved that it is possible to combine good design and efficient construction to arrive at affordable housing solutions for first home buyers, who are often hardest hit when housing affordability is compromised in large cities.

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