The brief given to BDP was to design a new compact apartment scheme, which would deliver high quality design on a budget; to innovate and ?test assumptions?. The result was a modular apartment building, which has been designed from the inside out. The planning of each flat has been governed by two principles: the elimination of ?dead space? by overlapping functional areas; and the provision of a generous volume within each apartment. The nine storey 256 apartment building fills the plot, pushing the apartments to the edge of the site, thereby creating a private, semi-external courtyard at its centre, protected from the weather by a translucent fabric canopy. Within the landscaped courtyard, occupants gain access to their flats via the central lift and stair and the galleries which connect each level. The courtyard is also home to the residents? post boxes, bike racks, recycling bins and twenty four hour concierge service, indeed everything required to make urban living more practical, convenient and sustainable. Each apartment has a central services pod, which contains a bathroom, a utility cupboard, a kitchen and a wardrobe. The pod is made from precast concrete and largely fitted off-site. The Abito concept is being transferred to other sites around England, s second scheme is on site in Salford and plans are currently being made to bring the brand to London and Bolton.