Mental Approaches to Enhancing Apartment Complex Design
The vertical footprint of apartment complexes makes them attractive to building owners — achieving the greatest return on investment, but a problem has emerged. These constructions all look the same. This similarity hinders differentiation in an already highly competitive market.
Considering this, here are some well-thought-out approaches to improving apartment complex design to stand out.
Design for Density
Enhancing the design of apartment complexes begins with maximizing available space. Four typologies are used to describe residential buildings: Shell, Podium, Double Podium, and Tower/Slab.
- Shell — your typical low-rise apartment. Usually has separate parking and is generally preferred in transitional urban areas that haven't yet earned urbanist status.
- Podium uses five above-ground floors and one to two underground parking levels. The first floor can also be used for amenities or retail spaces.
- Double Podium also uses multiple above- and below-ground levels. The difference in height. Double Podium buildings are suitable for zones where additional concrete construction allows a seven-story building instead of five.
- Tower — a tall, narrow residential building usually made of glass and steel. Often contains a mix of residential and commercial spaces, with plenty of amenities. Slab is a variation of the Tower that extends both vertically and horizontally. These are the most common residential complexes in city centers.
The first step is always identifying the type of apartment complex based on location and demographics. Now you can modify the design.
Ensure Sufficient Parking
Parking is one of the most important factors in choosing an apartment. Residents don't have garages or, in most cases, street parking. However, even in cities that rely more on public transport, there will still be many people with cars who use them for travel. Ensure you have at least one spot per apartment in your building. You'll also want spaces for families with more than one car and guest spots.
Don't Forget to Play
Residential buildings attract all kinds of residents — from single career-focused businessmen to families looking for a home to call their own, to elderly couples seeking a place to live in their golden years. You need to design spaces that cater to all possible demographic groups.
Improving the external spaces of your property is one way to do this. Children need play areas. Installing a playground can make your property more appealing to families with young kids. People also need green zones, and living in an apartment means no garden for play. These can be communal but still help improve the design of your complex without exception.
Go Green
Not only external spaces, but also adding some greenery inside your apartments. Maintaining plants indoors helps improve air quality and enhances the emotional well-being of residents. Studies show that indoor plant care can reduce stress and stimulate creativity and productivity. Adding plants to the exterior of a building can help lower heating and cooling costs by providing additional natural insulation.
Light It Up
Maintaining lighting is important for the safety and comfort of residents, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Consider switching to LED bulbs or fixtures — or updating existing ones during renovation of an older residential building.
Besides reducing utility costs, LEDs require less maintenance and fail less often. This makes it easier to ensure you don't have dissatisfied residents calling you at any time about a burnt-out bulb in the stairwell.
Improve Amenities
Amenities in residential buildings are one of the most attractive features — but only if they're functional. Take time to carefully select amenities and maintain them well. Pools are popular but can be difficult to maintain. Other sought-after features may include:
- Fitness Centers
- Laundromats
- Co-working Spaces
- Meeting/Dinner Rooms
Use your creativity. Research competitors to see what amenities they offer, giving you a clearer idea of features potential tenants might look for.
Also ensure you spend time analyzing the pros and cons of each. Pools are popular, but if your complex is in a region where there are only a few weeks a year when swimming is possible, it may not be worth the investment. On the other hand, in warmer climates, a pool might be necessary if you want to compete with local complexes.
Enhancing Apartment Complex Design
It seems like new residential buildings appear every day, so making yours stand out in an already saturated market may be impossible. Enhancing apartment complex design doesn't have to be complicated, but it requires some thinking and foresight. Spend time figuring out what best suits your residents without creating unnecessary problems for you or your maintenance team in the future.
