Millennials don't need living rooms, says top architect

But they do need to live and work in urban centers

Patrik Schumacher of prestigious Zaha Hadid Architects, which designed the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics, has determined that 18- to 34-year-olds do not need living rooms in their apartments.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Schumacher said a hotel-sized room is enough for young professionals "out and about networking 24/7."
Schumacher wants to see "outdated" London regulations requiring 409 square feet of floorspace in new units revised downward. He argues they clash with the priorities of Millennials, many of whom, he says, would welcome smaller apartments.
Hotel-sized studios in central London would cost less to rent or buy, reduce commuting costs and enable more Millennials to enter the housing market. The Daily Telegraph quoted Schumacher as saying London Millennials now pay up to 80 percent of their income on housing in the central portion of the city. California's space requirements are significantly less restrictive than London's. Even a 160-square-foot unit in San Francisco qualifies as legal. Turning a living room into a bedroom in order to house an extra roommate is nothing out of the ordinary.