How Breaking Rules Could Create Better Apartments

What could apartments look like if we eliminated some of the rules they are subject to? Urbanarium held a design competition to find out.

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Urbanarium

[simsley]

“And for architects, probably FML” okay, that made me chuckle 😆

[CameronFussner]

The issue is that either the renter or the owner must in some way pay insurance and property taxes if they want a "permanent roof" with utilities like electricity, gas and water. Because of this, many people—at least in California, where I currently reside—are living in tents. No taxes, rent, mortgages, or insurance. The number of people who tell me they live in their car that I meet amazes me. Its crazy out here!

[jolenethiessen]

My very first apartment was in an old 1940s built building. It occupied a single lot, and had 5 suites (2 upper floor, 2 main floor, 1 basement). I loved that space, despite it not being in great repair. Every apartment had windows on 3 sides, and a small communal yard. It was walking distance to everything. It more or less sat on the property line on 2 sides (it was a corner lot, so those sides abutted up to the city property).

My next apartment, in the same neighbourhood, was a garden apartment with external walk-ups and balconies. It has windows on both ends. Still very lovely, but I missed the old 1940s one.

[requiem_zeal]

These designs could actually stifle the desire for single-family housing as well to some degree. I honestly wouldn't mind not having one if I could get a 3-bedroom apt in a building with these design elements. Why do we all need our own yards? How come communal spaces are looked down upon so much in North America?

[Curtistopsidae]

The pooled circulation spaces is a really interesting idea. Some of the proposed uses (eg playground) were really edging into areas that I think local governments are better positioned to handle though. Like either the maintenance is increasing my rent (probably more than I'd pay in taxes because of economies of scale) or I'm stuck in an HOA. Also, communal spaces within an apartment complex absolutely require good soundproofing for the apartments for resident sanity

[theSpackster]

the designs look awesome! i've been apartment hunting and the apartments suck! the coworking and courtyard space seem so awesome! i love to spent time outside and having a space right there is so nice. the downtown of my city is very nice because it's very walkable and it achieves that. i think it'd be cool for floor one or communal spaces to have stuff like a coffee shop or like quick breakfasts/food places.

[tkctigger]

I work from home and at the moment that means that one of the three rooms in my apartment is my office. I would love to live in an apartment complex with a co-working space! Not having to sacrifice a quarter of my apartment's floor space for work and being able to interact with other people during my workday would be great.

[jameshansenbc]

Fantastic as always! Some really inspiring and exciting designs in here.

[Rahshu]

I'd like to see more details of floorplans. The thing that bum me out about apartment living is that so many are so poorly laid out, at least for me. Different lifestyles and phases of life require different layouts.Could they maybe do stack townhomes? I'd love to have a two-story unit that actual has a proper living room and bedrooms upstairs. Also, not every bedroom needs its own bathroom. I'd rather have the usable living space anyway. And enough of the open common room! Let the kitchen be separate from the living room, for God's sake! Hell, I'd love to see more townhomes built as I think that's more what I'd like for myself. That being said, if I could find a spacious three bedroom that was well laid out, I think I could be happy.

[charleschaimkohl]

Architect here
I planned hundreds of apartments all around New York City and I can tell you zoning is the main issue by all buildings are boarding and duplicate

[cashwarior]

god, you guys always have the most banger music choices

[dlight]

7:19 The Korean design by Oh & Song is the best! I'd definitely live there.

[cashwarior]

I was hoping to see designs have more accessibility for folks with disabilities. Having a single staircase is nice, but would make it difficult for anyone in wheelchairs, crutches, bad joints, or any other kind of invisible disability to get a room (especially with how few spaces there are on the bottom floor). As well as some of the shared space designs seem quite cramped for those same disabilities.

[dchevron]

Shared spaces are awesome! My favorite place I've ever lived in had a central courtyard with tables, chairs, and grills that everyone would come together to have drinks and cook meals.

[batcactus]

My town is being scraped and gouged to install brutalist cubes with weird, jarring color schemes, no parking, and private gyms. A local park has just been surrounded by double decker shipping containers while they tear it out to create a mega village. I'm sending this out.

[tedturner]

I loved this. Toronto needs this yesterday.

[aidanmorgan]

Very cool concepts, and some of these are one's I'd be happy to live in. But I would think those regulations were put in for a reason. The fire thing makes sense, and maybe it would be fine if we revisited it, and used studies/data to make sure we'd be okay eliminating that rule. Not all rules were created equal, and there probably are ones that were set up for either aesthetic reasons or NIMBYs, so I like the idea of making sure all these rules make sense in the modern day.

[remiw]

these apartments are SO the towerhouse thing looks so good too!!!

[athlene]

Thank you for creating!! Nervous about the only one stair designs as fire exits are so important. Would want input on if one stair could work safely and for how many people, backed by research. Everything else sounded pretty good!!

[BernardinosFutbol]

Brilliant and very important exercise. Please follow up on this theme👍💜