As the old song has it, breaking up is hard to do.

正如一首老歌唱的一样，分手太难。

Not only is there the emotional angst, but in many cases one partner has to pack up and move out.

这困难之处不仅在于情感上的忧虑，在许多情况下情侣中的一方在分手后还需要打包自己的物品搬出共同居住的房子。

How much easier would it be if you could just break up your home into two separate units, and move them away from each other?

如果在分手之后可以把你们的家分成两个独立的部分并且移走，这问题是不是就好办多了？

This is just one of the possibilities offered by "micro housing," an architectural concept that is gaining momentum¹ around the world.

这就是微型住宅提供的一种可能性，这个建筑概念正在全球范围迅猛传播。

"Urban density² and housing cost are both rising rapidly," says Jinhee Park, principal architect at the Single Speed Design (SsD) design firm.

“城市密度和房价都在攀升，”单速设计公司首席建筑师朴真熙(音译)说。

"The idea is to take a small area and make it into a comfortable living environment that can be adapted according to changing needs."

“这个创意是将小空间改造成舒适的居住环境，而且这个空间可以随着不断变化的需求进行改装。”

Park has recently put this into practice in Seoul, South Korea, where a complex of 14 units can be combined and rearranged to match changes in lifestyle.

朴真熙最近在韩国首尔将这个概念变成了现实。她设计了由14个单元组成的房屋，这些小单元可以合并或者重新组合以适应生活方式的变化。

Residents can either claim a single space or recombine the blocks for larger configurations⁴ to suit couples, families or groups of friends.

住在这里的人可以要一个单间，也可以把几个独立小空间重新合并成空间比较大的房屋让情侣、一家人或者一帮朋友住在一起。

"It means that people will live there for longer, and in a more environmentally-friendly way," says Park, "since they aren't forced to move out when their circumstances change."

朴真熙说，“这就意味着人们可以住得更久，更环保。因为他们不会因为境况的变化而被迫搬出去。”

At the heart of the concept is the notion that you don't need as much personal space as you think.

这个概念的核心就是你需要的个人空间并没有你想的那么多。

The private units are small, but they are complemented⁵ by various shared living areas, semi-public balconies, an exhibition space and a cafe.

这些私人单元都很小，但是有各种共享空间做补充，包括半公共阳台、展区和咖啡厅。

All of this releases the pressure on the private units, making for a surprising degree of comfort in a confined space.

这些都在给私人空间解压，使有限的空间也能有超乎想象的舒适。

"I believe that you don't need lots of space to create spaciousness," says Park. "We designed the units to feel big even though they are small.

朴真熙说，“我认为并不需要太多的空间来制造宽敞的感觉，我们设计的单元房间虽然小但是会让你感觉很大。

"The windows match up so that you always have a view of the outside world, and deep skylights allow lots of natural light whatever level you live on.

单元房的窗户也有帮助，这样你就能看到外面的景色。我们还给房间安上了内凹式天窗，无论你住在哪一层，自然光都会照射进房间。

"The thickness of the housing shell is reduced as much as possible, maximizing the available space."

同时，房子外壳的厚度需要尽可能的薄，使可用空间最大化。”

But it is the notion of expanding and adapting your living space that is the real key to success.

但是，扩大和改造居住空间的观念才是成功的关键。

"The idea is that people don't identify their living boundaries with the walls of their personal units," she says.

她说，“这个创意是让人们不以墙来划分私人居住区域。

"They can go outside and extend their boundaries by using the intersection⁶ between public and private, as well as interior and exterior⁷ spaces."

他们可以走到外面，用公共空间和私人空间交汇的地方来扩展他们的区域，室内和室外的空间也是如此。”

The complex was built last fall, and the reaction has been positive. But, Park acknowledges, none of the residents have yet altered the configuration³ of the units.

去年秋天这种组合式的住宅已经完工，并且得到了积极的反馈。但朴真熙坦承，现在还没有居民改变他们的居住结构。

"I don't know if any of them have broken up yet," she says.

“我不知道是否有人分手，”她说。

"Hopefully they haven't. But when that time comes, it will be very interesting to see what happens."

“希望没有人分手。但是如果真有人分手，那么就有好看的了。”