APARTMENT BUILDING: INTRODUCTION

The term "apartment" can be used to refer to any residential unit within a structure. The
structure can be a single family home, a townhouse, a large residential building, or even a
condominium high-rise where owners rent out their units. Apartments differ from other types of
housing in that they are rented rather than owned.

Flat vs. Rental Unit vs. Apartment

The terms "apartment," "flat," and "rental unit" are all interchangeable. The way
they're used differs depending on where you live. A flat is a British term, although in
Australia, a unit is the usual phrase. In North America, the term "apartment" is preferred,
however real estate brokers and landlords frequently use the term "rental unit." A single-
family house that the owner rents to a tenant and even though the rental is a house, it
can also be referred to as an apartment.
 Co-op and Condo Conundrum

Because they are residential units in a multi-residence building and physically

resemble rental apartments, many people mistake co-ops and condos for apartments.
These aren't, however, rentals (unless the unit is being subleased). The owner of the
condo or co-op decides to rent out their unit in a sublet situation. It becomes a rental
apartment in that circumstance.

However, it appears that co-ops and condos should be included in the definition
of an apartment at times. After all, much of the same living circumstances apply, and
owners of co-ops and condos frequently refer to their residence as an apartment and
use the term in their address.
What It All Means

The definition of an apartment can be a bit complex, regionally appropriate, and differ
greatly depending on common parlance and the media.

The simplest breakdown of "apartment" comes down to two basic meanings:

 When individuals use the term "apartment" in this context, they are referring to an
architectural classification rather than legal ownership difficulties. The living area
could be a single room or a group of rooms, and it could be one of a few or
numerous in the building. In other words, whether the residents rent or own the
space, it is still an apartment. Condominiums and co-ops are included under this
definition.
 Any rented living space will suffice. Living areas in which the residents are the
proprietors are not included in this definition. As a result, co-ops and condos are
not considered apartments by this definition. If the residents in a single-family
house pay rent to live there, the house is their apartment from their perspective.

After that, there's the issue of apartment type to consider. Garden apartments, loft
apartments, penthouse and studio apartments, and apartments classified by the number of
bedrooms, for example, are all available.

APARTMENT BUILDING: HISTORY

Apartment house, also known as apartment block or block of flats, is a structure that has
many living units, the majority of which are designated for domestic use but may include stores
and other nonresidential elements.

Apartment structures have been around for millennia. Except for the apartments of the
very wealthy, private houses, or domus, had given way to communal dwellings, or insula (q.v.)
in early imperial times in the principal towns of the Roman Empire due to urban congestion.
Buildings of four stories were popular, with six, seven, or eight stories being built on occasion.
Another sort of apartment occurred in Europe during the Middle Ages, consisting of a large
home or mansion that was subdivided into smaller apartments to house an important person's
servants and other retainers. Unlike these "apartments," which were merely personal chambers
within enormous mansions, the modern apartment house first developed in Paris and other
major European cities in the 18th century, when tall blocks of flats for middle-class renters
began to arise. The size of the flats (and the residents' financial means) reduced with each
subsequent floor in a four- or five-storey building in a typical Parisian apartment building.

By the mid-nineteenth century, significant numbers of low-cost apartment dwellings were

being built in cities and towns across Europe and the United States to accommodate an influx of
industrial workers. These structures were frequently filthy, poorly constructed, unclean, and
claustrophobic. Apartments colloquially known as railroad flats were set end-to-end in a row like
boxcars in the typical New York City apartment, or tenement, which was initially built in the
1830s. Indeed, before 1918, few low-cost apartment complexes in Europe or America were
constructed for comfort or aesthetic. However, in many European capitals, particularly in Paris
and Vienna, the design for upper-middle-class apartments and the rich advanced dramatically in
the second half of the nineteenth century.

Elevators, central heating, and other amenities that could be shared by a building's
occupants were introduced in the early twentieth century, giving rise to the modern huge
apartment complex. Apartments for the wealthy began to have additional features such as
recreation areas, delivery and laundry services, as well as community dining rooms and
gardens. As urbanization and growing land costs made single-family homes increasingly
unaffordable in many areas, the multistory apartment house grew in importance. Apartment
complexes have become a popular kind of government-subsidized, or public, housing, notably
for the elderly, working classes, and people living in poverty in cities. In the Soviet Union and
other countries where housing development was the duty of the state, apartment-block towers
were also developed in great numbers.

As a result of growing urbanization, the demand for apartment living has continued to
rise since World War II. The mid- or high-rise apartment complex has become a common sight
in most major cities across the world, and the two- or three-story "walk-up" apartment remains
popular in less densely populated locations. The most typical way to live in an apartment house
has been to rent it. Multiple ownership of units on a single site, on the other hand, has grown
much more prevalent in the twentieth century. Cooperatives and condominiums are examples of
such ownership. In a cooperative, all of the residents in a building share ownership of the
structure; cooperative housing is far more widespread in Europe than in the United States.
Individual ownership of one living unit in an apartment house or other multi-dwelling complex is
referred to as a condominium.
 Condominiums are becoming increasingly popular in the United States and
internationally, owing to the fact that, unlike cooperative members, condominium owners are not
financially reliant and can mortgage their property.

APARTMENT BUILDINGS: EXAMPLES

'DON DRAPER' APARTMENT, NEW YORK CITY

BY: ZAHA HADID

Years after having lost the High Line to Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Zaha Hadid has just
landed a commission to make her mark on the elevated train tracks -- or at least adjacent to
them. The Pritzker winner is going to build a new 11-story apartment building in Chelsea's
forthcoming Hudson Yards, arguably the only plausible locale for her New York debut.

Since the late-aughts debuts of Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, and Shigeru Ban, Hadid's
design has been in pace with the fashionable, high-profile architecture that has been erasing all
signs of the neighborhood's industrial background. The 520 W 28th Street apartment building
(far more appropriate for Hadid's brand of deconstructivism than the staid modernist
surroundings of 425 Park Avenue, another lost New York commission) is made up of two
perpendicularly joined wings, stacks of glass that provide new opportunities for total voyeurism
from the High Line. The developer's humorous description of a "Don Draper Apartment" leads
us to believe that the split-level property will be quite pricey.

The building is on the more restrained side of Hadid's spectrum, although being properly
cosmic (a black line will zigzag down the height of the front). "It's on a very constrained site,"
she noted to New York Magazine, "so you can't really go wild." Her signature wild curves have
been reined in and reduced to rounded corners of a rectangular plan. Although her team is
already experimenting with water lasers in the hopes of carving their characteristic "frozen-in-
stone liquid patterning" on the internal marble, there are no stray bulbous volumes to be
discovered.

FERREL RESIDENCES, SINGAPORE BY: PREMIUM LAND PTE LTD (FERRELL ASSET
MANAGEMENT PTE LTD)

Farrell Residences is a freehold

condominium that is centrally located near a
variety of amenities, making it very convenient
for residents. This development is ideal for
individuals as well as families, and it would also
be of interest to those looking to invest in real
estate. Farrell Residences provides a variety of
condo amenities to its residents. There is a
sparkling swimming pool as well as a spa pool,
which are ideal for relaxing and rejuvenating
after a long day at work. Families with small
children will enjoy hours of fun at the wading
pool. A well-equipped gymnasium is available to
residents who want to stay in shape. Residents
can prepare delectable meals for friends and
family in the barbeque area.

In addition, the Tanglin Club and the Newton Hawker Centre are both within walking
distance of Farrell Residence. Farrell Residences is a haven where residents can retreat to a
peaceful and quiet home while still taking advantage of all the amenities that city life has to
offer.

APARTMENT BUILDINGS: FURNISHINGS

Living Room Furnishings

At the least, a living room within a furnished apartment will include a couch, coffee table,
end table and lamps. The end table may double as a desk, ideal for those who need a home
workspace. A chair, ottoman or bookshelf may also be present, as well as electronics such as a
TV (possibly a smart TV) or stereo system.

Bedroom Furnishings

You can expect to find a bed, a nightstand and a chest of drawers or armoire for
clothing. Small bedrooms, like many in New York City, may only include a bed and nightstand. If
there is no ceiling lighting in the room, a lamp will be included. Some furnished bedrooms also
include a desk, an alarm clock and pillows, sheets and a comforter for the bed.

Bathroom furnishings

Since most bathroom essentials like a toilet, sink and shower/tub are already built in, a
bathroom in a furnished apartment will include a shower curtain at the minimum. There may
also be towels and a bath mat, plus accessories like a toothbrush holder, tissue holder, soap
dispenser and wastebasket.

Kitchen Furnishings

The kitchen is where you’ll find the most variation in what a furnished apartment
includes. Both furnished and unfurnished apartments will include large appliances like a
refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher, while furnished apartments may include small
appliances like a coffeemaker, toaster, toaster oven, blender, rice maker or food processor. The
kitchen may also come equipped with cookware (like pots and pans), bakeware, dishes and
utensils.

Laundry

The apartment may have a washer and dryer within the unit, or there may be a shared
laundry room in the building. If the building has a concierge, he or she may be able to procure
laundry or dry cleaning services for you.
APARTMENT BUILDINGS: STANDARDS AND SPACES

SPACES

An ideal city should regulate both minimum room sizes and minimum apartment size, not
just individual room sizes. By this way developers have some freedom to make some
apartments with bigger living room and other apartments with bigger bedrooms, to make all
rooms accessible from living room, or to add hallways.

Minimum net floor area (excluding walls and balconies):

1-bedroom 1-bath = 40 sqm

2-bedroom 1-bath = 60 sqm

2-bedroom 2-bath = 70 sqm

3-bedroom 2-bath = 90 sqm

4-bedroom 2-bath = 120 sqm

For comparison, the apartments currently built by HDB in Singapore have gross floor
area 3-room 65 sqm and 4-room 90 sqm, but these include wall thickness too, as well as an
useless “household shelter”, so the internal size is about 10-15% lower, making them unlivable
in my opinion. The HDB apartments built in 1980s and 1990s are slightly above the minimal
floor area in my ideal city.

The following regulations were intended for the system with wall axis and 10 cm walls.

Living room: minimum width 3.4 m, 2.9 m wide is allowed for 2-room. Recommended size for
living + dining: 18 sqm for 2-room, 20 sqm for 3-room, 25 sqm for 4-room, 30 sqm for 5-room.

Dining room: 3-room apartments should provide space for dining table for 4 people while 4-
room apartments should provide space for a dining table for 6 people, if it is a separate room, its
size should be at least 3 x 3 m. In low-cost apartments people can eat in front of TV on a folding
table with folding chairs.
Bedrooms: recommended size 2.9 x 3.9 m or 3.4 x 3.4 m (11 sqm). This size easily
accommodates a wardrobe and one double bed or two single beds (or wardrobe, bed, desk).

Master bedroom: for 3-room apartments, one bedroom is recommended to be 2.9 x 4.9 m or
3.5 x 3.9 m (13 sqm) and for 4-room and bigger 3.4 x 4.9 m (16 sqm). Bigger apartment means
richer owner so need a bigger room.

Kitchen: minimum 2.4 m for cabinets on both sides, minimum 8 sqm for 3/4-room, 10 sqm for
5-room. 2-room can have kitchen 1.9m wide with cabinets on one side and 6 sqm.

Most of the designs use enclosed kitchen but placed in a way that allow hacking wall to
living room for people who love open-concept kitchen.

Bathrooms: recommended size 2.4×1.6 m to fit toilet bowl, sink and bathtub, or 2.4 x 1.4 m
with shower, or 1.9 x 1.9 with corner shower. Typical bathtub size is 150-160 cm long and 75-80
cm wide (60 x 30 in).

Hallways: most of my designs use 1.20 m width hallways to comply with almost every country’s
building code. Together with bathroom width of 1.60 m and two walls 10 cm thick, makes a
rounded value of 3 meters.

Staircases: minimal width 90 cm, recommended width 1 m.

STANDARDS

Building Set Back

Standard

The built form of the development must be appropriate to the urban context and the site.
A building should be setback a reasonable distance from side and rear boundaries, and other
buildings within the site to:

• Ensure adequate daylight into new habitable room windows.

• Avoid direct views into habitable room windows and private open space of new and
existing dwellings. Developments should avoid relying on screening to reduce views.

• Provide an outlook from dwellings that creates a reasonable visual connection to the
external environment.
 • Ensure the dwellings are designed to meet other internal amenity objectives of the new
apartment provisions.

Functional Layout

Standard

A dwelling should have bedrooms that meet the minimum internal room dimensions
specified in Table 1.

All bedrooms should provide an area in addition to the minimum internal room
dimensions to accommodate a wardrobe.

A dwelling should have a living area (excluding dining and kitchen areas) that meets the
minimum internal room dimensions specified in Table 2.

Room Depth

Standard

A single aspect habitable room should not exceed a room depth of 2.5 times the

ceiling height.

A single aspect open plan habitable room depth may be increased to 9 meters provided
the following requirements are met:

• The room combines the living area, dining area and kitchen.
• The kitchen is located furthest from the window.

• The ceiling height is at least 2.7 meters measured from finished floor level to finished
ceiling level, except where services are provided above the kitchen.

The room depth is measured from the external surface of the habitable room window to
the rear wall.

Windows

Standard

A window in a habitable room should be located in an external wall.

A window may provide daylight to a bedroom from a smaller area within the room,
where:

• The area is at least:

− A minimum width of 1.2 meters.

− A maximum depth of 1.5 times the width, measured from the external surface of the window.

• The window is clear to the sky

Storage

Standard
 Each dwelling should have convenient access to usable and secure storage space.

The total minimum storage space (including kitchen, bathroom and bedroom storage)
should meet the requirements specified in Table 1.

\
Noise Impacts

Standard

The layout of new dwellings and buildings should minimize noise transmission within

the site.

The location of noise sensitive rooms (such as living area and bedrooms) and private
open space should take account of:

• The layout of adjoining dwellings, and

• The location of mechanical plants, lifts, building services, non-residential uses, car
parking, and communal areas.

Noise sources, such as mechanical plants should not be located near bedrooms of
immediately adjacent existing dwellings.

New dwellings should be designed and constructed to include acoustic attenuation

measures to reduce noise levels from off-site noise sources.

A building within a noise influence area specified in Table 1 should be designed and
constructed to achieve the following noise levels:

• Not greater than 35dB(A) for bedrooms, assessed as an LAeq,8h from 10pm to

6am.

• Not greater than 40dB(A) for living areas, assessed LAeq,16h from 6am to 10pm.

This does not apply to a building, or part of a building that is obstructed by an existing
solid building or works or the natural topography of the land.

Noise levels should be measured in an unfurnished and finished floor with the windows
closed.
Energy Efficiency

Standard

Buildings should be:

• Oriented to make appropriate use of solar energy.

• Sited and designed to ensure that the energy efficiency of existing dwellings on
adjoining lots is not unreasonably reduced.

Living areas and private open space should be located on the north side of the
development, if practicable.

Developments should be designed so that solar access to north-facing windows is

optimised.
 A dwelling located in a climate zone identified in Table 1 should not exceed the specified
maximum NatHERS annual cooling load.

Solar Access to Communal Open space

Standard

The communal outdoor open space should be located on the north side of a building, if
appropriate.

At least 50 percent or 125 square meters, whichever is the lesser, of the primary
communal outdoor open space area used by occupants should receive a minimum of two hours
of sunlight between 9am and 3pm.

Natural Ventilation

Standard

The design and layout of dwellings should maximize openable windows, doors or other
devices in an external wall of the building, where appropriate.

At least 40% of dwellings should achieve effective cross ventilation. Effective cross

ventilation is achieved where:

• There is a maximum breeze path through the dwelling of 18 meters.

• There is a minimum breeze path through the dwelling of 5 meters.

• The ventilation openings have approximately the same area.

• The breeze path is measured between the ventilation openings on different orientations
of the dwelling.