NewVistas Apartment building

Overview

The NewVistas apartment building combines functionality and livability to provide participants with convenience and aesthetically pleasing features. The layout maximizes space utilization, with each apartment being at least 8 feet wide and up to 32 feet long from end to end. The layout is designed to be rational – ample living/ family rooms, leading to bed chambers further inside whose walls and screens can easily be pulled back, and then a toilet/shower/sink module next to the vista window at the far end.

With each of the partitions that separate different modules being easily rolled back or up, there is ample natural lighting and ventilation. In addition, every apartment has a clear view of the gardens. These partitions are sound-proof, guaranteeing privacy and comfort, and enabling each participant to enjoy their space.

Instead of storage closets that are in the family room or the bed module, the apartment has storage facilities in the ceiling. These are only brought down when needed, creating even greater room, and making it much easier for participants to keep their apartments tidy and organized.

Each apartment is easily accessible through elevators and stairs that are located in wide hallways, measuring 16 feet in width. In addition, buildings have a garage and storage space on the ground floor. On the ground floor, there is a 24-foot-wide breezeway for traffic in front of the apartment.

On the first floor, besides the apartments, there is a 24-foot-wide patio/grove in the front, directly above the breezeway. In the back, there is a 56-foot-wide patio area that can be used for small social events. In addition, the rooftop above the apartments has 4 pickleball courts plus room for the building’s utilities. The rooftop can also be used for other social events.

The building is modular in design, such that each aspect of the building is separate. This gives each apartment great versatility, enabling people to configure the room they need according to their needs.

Physical plant setup

NewVistas apartment buildings will be constructed to respond to the need for housing and the availability of space. NewVistas does not intend to occupy land that has never been developed before, such as farmland or forest. Instead, it will occupy areas that are currently or were formerly in use and are no longer able to be used optimally, such as derelict industrial zones or depressed areas.

An essential first step in setting up the community is the full development of the apartment building’s various specifications. These include advanced waste management infrastructure, the mule system including various apps, and the modular nature of each of the building’s aspects.

Apartment buildings will be placed in suitable areas and be rented out to tenants. The amount of rent charged will consider the area’s prevailing rent rates and the cost used in production. Apartments will be fully furnished – coming with, among other things, the mule system and relevant apps that occupants will lease from NewVistas. All aspects of the apartment’s furnishing and utilities will be strictly on a rental basis.

While apartment buildings will originally be put up subject to the availability of various conditions listed above, they will also seek to conform to the NewVistas plan. Therefore, in the initial stages, apartment buildings may be regularly moved to accommodate the specifications of the pattern, such as every apartment always having a clear view of the street ahead (which will, in due course, become a village square/ garden.

While in the community concept, an apartment will accommodate around 100 participants, in the set-up stage, an apartment will have up to 60 occupants. The smaller number will be to accommodate additional storage needs and the fact that at this point, the nascent community will still be car-dependent. This will require the full use of the garage as a parking space, in addition to storage space.

Each apartment is also a branch. When 10 branches have been set up, they will be organized into a village. However, at this point, several aspects of the community, including setting up presidencies, investing in the community, “all things in common” and stewardships, among others, will still not be present.

However, people living in the same branch will be able to form units and take part in some common activities. They will also be aware of their organization as a branch, and later, a village, and a district. In addition, class and unit meetings and events will be used to educate people on other aspects of the community and to have them understand the eventual progression to a NewVistas community.

When 4 villages have been set up, with the potential of accommodating 4,000 people, but at the moment accommodating around 60%, deliberate steps to set up the economic and social infrastructure of the community will commence.

To start, a multipurpose district building will be assembled. This building is important in providing important social amenities to participants, including recreation, meetings, and some commercial activities. At street intersections, hub buildings will also be constructed, marking the first decisive move from a car-dependent community to one that is more walkable.

From the initial stages, there will be a subtle bias to attracting self-employed people, who will transition more easily to participants – owning and running their own business. The district, with a district building, apartment buildings, and hubs, will present a significant number of commercial opportunities. As much as possible, residents who are employed will be encouraged to start their businesses in the community.

As more apartments are constructed, and the community starts to take shape, existing tenants will be encouraged to learn more about the NewVistas community concept, and how they can become participants.

As more districts are constructed, there will be considerably more economic and social activities. Tenants can now start investing and becoming limited partners. The limited partnership status they acquire will entitle them to a profit share of the profits the community makes, including the rent of equipment and apartments.

A necessary precursor will be the creation of the Capital Bank, which will, at this time, perform the functions of the three bank agencies.

The invested funds will be used to make loans which will be used to carry out further infrastructure development, including acquisition of additional land, setting up more apartments, and acquisition of equipment.

The presence of an operational Capital Bank will lead to a more accelerated formation of important operational infrastructure, such as the establishment of presidencies, construction of more community buildings, and the entrenchment of the principles of “all things in common” and “no poor among them”.

On the principle of “all things in common”, the community will increasingly be able to finance the acquisition of equipment and inventory for home and business use, which will be rented out to participants, or, in the case of inventory, providing on factoring terms. This will gradually negate the rationale of businesses and individuals spending enormous amounts of money on assets that may quickly become obsolete.

The assets, which will be owned by the community, will ensure better access to economic production tools. In addition, the Capital Bank will, as more tenants and others join and become limited partners, enable the setting up of additional agencies by investing in them. This business help will ensure that eventually, every person who ought to be engaged in gainful economic production will have the tools needed to do so, thereby eliminating the “poor among them”.

 As more tenants lease the equipment they need from the community, thereby reducing the need for a lot of space, and participants become more adept at utilizing the apartments, less space per person will be needed, thereby increasing occupation in apartment buildings from around 60 to 100 people.

Preparation and construction of an apartment building

The different components that make an apartment block are designed to fit in a shipping container – normally, these containers have a maximum width of 8 feet, a standard height of 8’6 feet (some have an extra foot), and a length of either 20 or 40 feet. The standard sizes of the components make it easy to assemble, transport, and when needed, to dismantle buildings. 

All other buildings in the community, including district buildings, hub buildings, and structures in the ag and industrial zones in the mirrored villages are all designed this way.

An apartment building is designed to be easy to transport, assemble, and take apart. It is also designed to be extremely resistant to forces of nature such as earthquakes, and tornadoes. It is also able to protect occupants from extreme weather conditions – heat and cold.

To set up an apartment building, the required space is excavated, graveled, and prepared for laying the foundation. Depending on the soil type, piles, and drilled foundations can be used to ensure maximum stability. Soil improvement techniques, such as vibro-compaction and dynamic compaction are also used to enhance stability.

All these materials can be moved if the apartment building needs to move. They are meant to be as inexpensive as possible and therefore have little bearing on the overall cost of the building.

The apartment building’s foundation rests on foundation pads, which are placed on a stabilized surface. These pads are highly reinforced and made of concrete, giving them the necessary capability to withstand the weight of the apartment, but still enable the building’s dismantling and reassembly elsewhere if needed. Such a foundation is highly resistant to earth forces, such as earthquakes and tremors, since the pads are used as a base isolation mechanism, separating the building from potential movements below ground.

 After this, the apartment is constructed primarily by joining the different parts together. The building is exclusively built modularly, with each part able to be shipped easily, making the building cheaper, easier to assemble, and standardized.

Within the apartment building

The entire area where an apartment building is located measures at least 66 feet in width, and 180 feet in length. This provides for an allowance of 1 foot on each side for the structural foundation, and 10 feet in the front and back to accommodate easements.

Of the 180 feet in length, 80 feet (56 feet at the back and 24 feet in the front) is occupied by a breezeway in the front (and the grove above it), an extension of the garage in the back (and the playground above it). The apartment itself is 80 feet in length.

Each floor of the apartment floor is divided in half by a 16-foot hallway that grants access to individual apartments. Each side of the floor measures 32 feet in width and 64 feet in length.

Each floor is 14 feet high (12’ ceilings + 2’ for structure and utility easements). The high floor allows for sizeable storage in the ceiling, which is 2 feet deep. Therefore, the entire building, with 5 floors, is 70 feet high.

Ground floor 

As pointed out, NewVistas apartment buildings will start by addressing housing needs, and will therefore have a more traditional outlook. As more apartments are built, and the layout transitions to a village, and then a district, the social and economic principles and dynamics that will underpin the NewVistas community start to take shape.

In the early stages, the ground floor is a garage for cars and storage for occupants’ equipment, including mule apps. At this stage, occupants will still have a lot of personal assets, which may take up too much space in apartment buildings. These assets will be stored on the ground floor.

Parking lots will be fitted with car lifters so that every parking spot can accommodate 2 vehicles. The lifters will also come in handy in expanding storage space by having many items above ground.

In the long term, the NewVistas pattern envisages a car-free community. The evolution will be gradual, such that by the time a full community has formed, no vehicles will be allowed, or necessary in the central square. A majority, if not all, of participants will live and work there.

Once the community has transitioned to being walkable and carless, the ground floor will be used as storage for the businesses that will be at the front of the building, facing the street. The ground floor leads to the other four floors. It also has an elevator pit.

Apartment floors

Above the garage, but outside the first floor, there are two patios. One, in the front, is 64 by 24 feet and has a grove of trees and a breezeway. The other at the back, is much larger, measuring 56 by 64 feet. It can have larger outdoor events, a playground, and similar activities. Both areas are accessed through the first floor’s hallways.

Each apartment floor has a maximum of 32 bed/bath modules. This is however different for the first floor, which has a maximum of 28 bed/bath modules. The fewer modules allow for an 8’-foot hallway from the central 16’ hallway through to the front and back patios.

Each apartment floor has a maximum of 16 bed/bath modules on each side, apart from the first floor which as indicated, having a total of 28 bed/bath modules, has 14 such modules on each side. This means that the maximum apartment size is 16 bed modules. With each module being 4 feet, wide, such an apartment would be 64 feet wide. The smallest apartment has two bed/bath modules.

The two sides of an apartment are separated by a 16-foot hallway, which also contains stairs and elevators. It is used to access each apartment and the rooftop. The rooftop has pickleball courts but can be used for smaller events as well. Some utilities are also situated on the rooftop.

Inside the apartment

The width of an apartment is determined by how many bed/bath modules it has. With an apartment having at least 2 bed/bath modules, and each having a width of 4 feet, the minimum width of an apartment is 8 feet.

The length of an apartment includes up to 16 feet of the apartment’s family room, and 16 feet of the bed/ bath module, adding up to a maximum of 32 feet. Within the bed module, the bed space is 10 feet long. The bed area includes a 3-foot changing area.

The bath module is 6 feet long. On one end, there is a permanent wall, where all the plumbing is installed. On this wall too, are attached two roller walls on both sides of the bath module. These walls roll out when needed to create the movable partitions for the bed module.

The family space includes a kitchenette, which is moveable and can include a washer and dryer if desired. The kitchenette can be placed wherever the occupants choose. The space is furnished with seats, which are that are mounted on mules. An occupant can mount any furnishing app – including a recliner seat, or a chair, among others as they desire. Other pieces of furniture and appliances – coffee and dining sets, utensils, and entertainment electronics, are placed in the family area as desired.  

The family room can be used for dining, entertainment, and family meetings, among other typical family activities. When a participant needs more privacy, they can retire to their bed/bath module – each participant has one private bed/bath.

When not in use, the bed module is part of the family space. Since the module is 10 feet long, this extends the family space from 16 to a maximum of 26 feet.

When in use, it is separated from the family space by mass-loaded vinyl shades that are 1/8 inch thick. The shades offer effective sound-proofing, and therefore privacy in the bed module. They are remote-controlled and powered by a small actuator. The shade is secured to the rollout walls by a magnetic strip, which, when the magnet is activated, is firmly secured to the poles in the rollout walls, locking out any sounds and smells.

In the bed module, the mule mounts a bed app. Bed modules are separated by moveable walls, which are made from concrete board. If two participants wish to combine their bed modules, they can easily remove the separating walls, which run on tracks and roll into and out of pockets in the bath module. Bed apps can also be seamlessly combined, creating a king-size bed.  

As with the family room, there is another storage facility embedded in the ceiling that is used for personal effects in the bedroom and bathroom. The closet is lowered from the ceiling and maneuvered to an upright possession when in use. The closet is large enough for one person – measuring 24 inches X 42 inches X 7 feet.

Bath/ toilet

The bath module, which has a toilet seat, a sink, and a shower, is the final part of the bed/bath module. It is 6 feet long, and as with the bed module, 4 feet wide. When needed, it is separated from the bed module and the rest of the apartment by mass-loaded vinyl shades, and from other bath modules by a retractable concrete board wall.

The water source for the various functions is in the floor/ ceiling, which holds all plumbing, electrical, and air conditioning ducting. They are permanent but do not interfere with the functionality of the room. The drainage for the shower is at the center of the bath module. For the sink, the drain is at the window.

When needed, for instance, when a bathroom is needed for a disabled person, two bath modules can be combined and one toilet removed, creating an 8-foot-wide space that can accommodate the user alone or with a caregiver. The space is enough for both to maneuver comfortably.

When the toilet is not in use, a bench can be brought down on the toilet seat, while the sink can be covered by a tabletop, creating a small private study room. Both the bench and the tabletop are made of water-resistant material.

The walls and shades provide total privacy by preventing any sounds from coming from or into the bed/ bath chamber. In other instances, an occupant may still want to use the study room, and still interact with fellow occupants. They only have to pull out the bench and tabletop, without bringing the walls down.

When the bed module is not in use, its walls can be rolled back into their pockets which flank the bath module. The shades can be pulled up back to the ceiling, giving occupants views of the gardens through 4X6 feet windows. Each bed/bath module has one such window, such that an apartment with 6 modules will have six windows. In addition to providing great views of the community, this also provides ample daylight.  

The toilet and the sink are protected from the shower’s splash by a 3-foot shade that can be lowered by rails into the floor. The shade is also pulled up when the toilet is not in use so that even when the bed module’s walls are rolled into their pockets, and people have a view of the gardens through the windows, the toilet module is still out of view.

The shower is built into the ceiling and is lowered or put back into its pocket as needed, such that when the walls and shades have been rolled up and back, the head is not visible. Shower controls are built into the wall. They are electronic so that they can control the valves in the ceiling that regulate water flow. This is the same case with the sink fixture, which, when not in use, is flat with the sink plank, and only comes up with a command. These attributes mean that no fixture or plumbing is seen when the room is in vista scenic mode for the family room.  

Partitions

Partitions between apartments are permanent walls. They can only be moved or removed by a property manager who runs the floor.  that must be moved or removed by the property manager. It takes about 2 hours for a two-person crew to move these walls.

 The partitions between the bed/bath modules are roll-out walls that move automatically when needed.  They are stored on both sides of the bathroom. When these areas are not in use, the walls can be rolled back to create a larger family room area.  They can be easily moved to create scenes by the press of a button. 

Rooftop

The rooftop is a large area, measuring 64 by 80 feet with a 16’ center hallway for stairs and elevator and utility units.   This leaves 32’ x 64’ space on both sides of the hallway where 4 pickleball courts, 2 on either side, are located. In addition, some utilities are better suited to being placed here. The courts’ nets and posts can be removed when necessary to accommodate different activities, such as monthly unit lunch meetings, and other planned events by members of a branch. The rooftop is fenced by a glass wall, which provides safety while allowing panoramic views of the rest of the community.

The mule

The mule is an indispensable part of the apartment’s functionality. The mule is a multifunctional base, on which various apps – including bed, chair, recliner, and transport apps can be attached.

A mule base measures 2 feet in width, 4 feet in length, and 14 inches high. The height can be adjusted as needed for different functions, while the apps adjusted to the app determine the dimensions. 

The mule has several features that, working independently or together, can perform a large number of functions, easing both personal living and business functions. The mule’s wheels can turn 90°, which gives the platform great maneuverability, such as squeezing through tight corners.

The mule comes with great dexterity – the platform can be tilted, while the wheels can either flank the platform (as seen above), or go under the platform, thereby manipulating the height and posture of the platform, and consequently, of the various applications (apps) that can be attached on the mule.

Mules have small storage space – which can be used to store water, small amounts of food, such as a packed lunch, a change of clothes, and bedding. These further improve the ease with which the platform can be converted from one use to the next.

The mule is powered by a fuel-cell battery. The battery provides the mule with enough power for its basic mechanical functions, including movement, cooling water, and powering a high-pressure water hose that is used to clean the mule and other equipment/ items.

In some instances, though, apps that are attached to the mule can come with additional power sources, especially if they are meant to carry out more energy-intensive tasks such as snow-blowing, and cooking. Such apps can also carry additional amounts of water when needed.

Depending on the use, apps are stored in the apartment, garage, or business premises. For instance. The bed and recliner apps can be stored in closets in apartments, which are lowered and lifted by pressing a button.

The attachment of apps to the mule is designed to be as simple as possible, such that even physically handicapped people can easily control it to their desire. More than 50 apps can be attached to the mule, including a wheelchair, bed, recliner, mobile kitchen, and buffet set, among many others.

Some apps can also have multiple uses. For instance, the bed app, with a width of 38 inches, can convert into a recliner (30 inches) or a chair (24 inches). Two bed apps, powered by their respective mules, can combine to form a twin (king-size, 76 inches) bed.