With micro-units on the way, the museum tests the waters

With the city set to begin construction on its micro-unit building next year — in which 55 apartments will range from 250 square feet to 370 square feet — the Museum of the City of New York is showing exactly what it’s like to live in such a cramped space.

Starting on Friday, five people will take turns living in a fully functional 350-square-foot apartment the museum has built as a part of its “Making Room: Models for Housing New Yorkers” exhibit.

The faux tenants will digitally document their experiences in the tiny room, as they live in a space that is 50 square feet smaller than the city’s current minimum size for apartments.

Emily Miranker, 27, one of the participants who will spend 24 hours in the unit, said the micro-unit’s uncluttered decor and functional space design “works for me and is pleasing to the eye. I like clean surfaces.”

She said that micro-unit living is feasible if it’s affordable, adding that as a young professional living on entry-level wages, “you never stop worrying about making ends meet.”

The apartment mimics those that will be part of the new “My Micro NY” building that will go up at 335 E. 27th St. The building is part of a pilot program backed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to explore smaller living spaces to accommodate an increasing single population. An estimated 600,000 more people are expected to move to the city by 2030, many of whom will be young and single, according to the museum.