Introduction

Finding a place to call home comes with options, from luxury to affordable and
everything in between. You may have heard about walk-up apartments as an alternative for city
dwellers looking for a less competitive, more affordable opportunity. Apartments can occupy
different sized lots from large redevelopment areas to small infill sites, can consist of a mix of
building types or uses and be situated in suburban, transitional or inner city locations.
A specific type of an apartment will be the main topic of this study, the walk-up apartment. The
content of this study wills focused in gaining relevant information about walk-up apartment in
order for the information to be applied in architecture as a references.

Objectives
This study about “Walk-up Apartment” seek to gain the following objectives:
1. To identify the definition of a Walk-up Apartment.
2. To identify and enumerate the basic and ancillary amenities of a Walk-up Apartment.
3. To discuss the special guidelines in the design of a Walk-up Apartment.
4. To identify the design standards and guidelines in designing Walk-up Apartment.
5. To provide a case study of a proposed or existing Walk-up Apartment

Content of the Study

1. Walk-up Apartment
According to Finch (2020), walk-up apartments are units in an apartment building
that does not have an elevator. They’re only accessible by walking up multiple flights of
stairs. They typically won’t be taller than five or six floors. They’re especially common
in older, dense cities like New York City. Walk-up apartments can also be multi-
bedroom, studio, or efficiency apartments. Walk-up apartments are typically smaller
urban buildings. That means fewer tenants and more privacy. Of course, the level of
privacy you want is your choice. It’s easy to meet your neighbors when you live in a
smaller, tighter-knit apartment building.

2. Basic and Ancillary Amenities

Basic Amenities
 Bedrooms/Units
All bedrooms should have an external window. Bedrooms should be designed so that two
people per bedroom (and two people for a studio), apartment fittings and furniture can all be
accommodated comfortably. Bedrooms should be large enough for at least a Queen size bed
with circulation on both sides of the bed. A well designed bedroom will also allow for a wide
range of other activities - studying, reading and for children to play.
 Living and Dining
Apartments tend to combine dining, kitchen and living areas into open-plan layouts, and
this is often considered desirable by occupants.
 Kitchen
Kitchen and cooking space, fittings and furniture should be provided in each apartment so
that two people can circulate safely and carry out activities hygienically and
conveniently.
 Laundry Area
 Toilet and Bathroom
Ancillary Amenities
 Parking Area/Garage
 Storage
 Courtyard
 Recreation Area
 Playground

3. Special Guidelines in Designing Walk-up Apartment