11/28/2018 Apartment space - Auckland Design Manual

Apartment Building Design

Apartment space Print

Design Checklist

1. The apartments are functional, well organised and have enough space to meet the needs of the intended number
of occupants
2. The layout is flexible and adaptable and allows for a variety of household activities

Design Checklist 1: The apartments are functional, well organised and have enough space to meet
the needs of the intended number of occupants

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Design Checklist 2: The layout is flexible and adaptable and allows for a variety of household
activities

Adequate space is the basis for good apartment design. Well-sized apartments will enable
greater flexibility and adaptability for their occupiers throughout their lifetimes, and
thus support the widest range of lifestyles and lifestages for those that own and live-in
them. 
Buildings and neighbourhoods that provide only small apartments limit their market to a
very narrow range of potential buyers and investors.  Smaller apartments tend to be attractive to
younger residents, who move on with job commitments, or as they evolve into a family,
 which creates transient buildings and neighbourhoods. 
Such 'mono-cultural' developments  are less resilient to change, and do not grow their value as
strongly as buildings and neighbourhoods that support a diversity of residents throughout their life
stages.  Click here for further guidance on how Universal Design can also enable these outcomes.

Better Design Practice

Ensure the spatial arrangements of habitable rooms are informed by the intended number of
occupants and possible furniture layouts.
Provide an 'easy-live' environment for occupants, with sufficient space to cater for adaptability and
changes in family circumstances over time.

Allow for a variety of household activities and occupants' needs by considering requirements for
individual rooms.

Provide spaces for social gathering (both indoors and outdoors) as well as space for privacy
and quiet.

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Consider providing offices, studies, en-suites and utility rooms. These are a commercial decision
and will require additional floor area beyond the minimums discussed here.

BEDROOMS

A 3.2m overall dimension allows space for secondary furniture, allows more flexibility and room to
walk around beds.

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For a two person bedroom, a 2.8m min dimension gives little plan flexibility and limited space for
additional furniture.

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Standard New Zealand bed and furniture dimensions.

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

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Providing a clear, 800mm wide area for circulation allows more flexibility for laying out furniture,
and makes the spaces more usable.

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A narrower floor plan means the occupants will have to walk around furniture. This limits the size of
furniture that can be used, and restricts how you can use the spaces.

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Standard living room furniture sizes.

Apartments tend to combine dining, kitchen and living areas into open-plan layouts, and this
is often considered desirable by occupants.
However where apartments are being designed for specific cultural needs it may be preferable to separate
the kitchen from the living and dining rooms, or other combinations.

This guidance combines the areas required for living rooms and dining rooms (which are usually located
adjacent to kitchens),  to allow freedom to plan these spaces in different ways.
 
A key design outcome is to ensure that the target occupancy level (two people per bedroom), apartment
fittings and furniture can all be accommodated comfortably, so that the occupants can carry out normal
daily activities in a convenient and relaxed manner.

If the principal living room within a dwelling has a 3m minimum for any dimension excluding
cupboards and other storage space, the effect of circulation across the living space, as well as
the intended number of occupants (and/or bedrooms) should be taken into account:
Additonal space may be required to make circulation around the area more comfortable.
It is preferable that access to bedrooms and bathrooms does not cross the living spaces, but is
around the edges of the sitting spaces.

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All living spaces should have external windows, and the windows in living areas should be a
minimum 800 to 1000mm (glazing height to maximum sill height) above floor level to
maintain views out while seated.
Living spaces should also provide for:

A wide screen television, including cable routing for future satellite dish and UHF aerial.

Multiple power points for accommodating appliances and computers.

A wall mounted or free standing heater or mechanical heating and cooling.

Dining Rooms
Access around a dining table should be a minimum 600-700mm where the space adjoins a bench
or other furniture.

Increased circulation space may contribute to greater comfort if the table is not accessible from
both ends or if the space is bounded by walls, rather than adjacent open living space.

KITCHEN

Some examples of typical kitchen layouts.

Standard sizes for kitchen cabinetry and apppliances.

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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
Kitchens should have 1.2m access space in front of the base kitchen units. This can overlap with
circulation space provided for living/dining areas and be reduced to 700mm (i.e. overlap by
500mm)

Rules of Thumb
The following space for new apartment developments should be met and considered as a
minimum. The guidance provides for apartments ranging from studios to four bedroom (six
person) apartments. For occupancy greater than six people, allow approximately 10sqm per
extra person.

Studio apartments, up to two persons 40sqm 

One bedroom apartments, two persons 50sqm 
Two bedroom apartments, four persons 75sqm 
Three bedroom apartments, six persons 100sqm

Bedroom layout should provide for the following as a minimum:

- a bed space 2m long by 1.6m (minimum) wide, or - two bed spaces side-by-side 2m long by
900mm wide.

Bedroom layout should provide a wardrobe with a minimum dimension of 2m long x 0.6m
deep with adequate access space in front
(e.g. taking clothes from a wardrobe drawer or chest of drawers requires a space of 710 - 990mm).

Bedroom layouts should provide for a desk / study or dressing table space of at least 800mm
wide by 500mm deep with 500mm width access space in front. An access space from the
entry door to the foot of the bed no less than 800mm wide.
Note: Access space requirements for different elements in bedroom spaces may overlap.

A bed space should be available at the entry level of a multi-level apartment.

Convenient wheelchair access should be available between a main bedroom and the
bathroom.

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Case Studies

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