Layouts in newly constructed apartments across Sydney are failing to cater for the needs of Australian families, new research suggests.

And layout decisions are being driven by the needs of developers more so than those of families with children.

Conducted by researchers from UNSW Sydney, the latest study examined the suitability of typical apartment layouts in Sydney in terms of the needs of modern families.

It found that:

• apartment sizes are commonly too small to cater for family space requirements; and
• apartment layouts are problematic for families, with too few offering a hallway or corridor despite these being desired by many parents.

The latest study comes as Australian families are increasingly turning to apartment living as an affordable option within proximity to transport, employment and education.

All up, more than 2.5 million people or 10.3 percent of the Australian population lived in apartments as of the 2021 Census.

In Sydney specifically, families account for around one quarter of households living in apartments (2021 Census).

The research drew upon analysis of 368 newly constructed apartment configurations (sourced from the Domain web site) across three Local Government Areas in Sydney.

Additional insights were gained through in-depth interviews with architects, property developers and parents of children.

The study was led by recent UNSW PhD graduate Dr Hyungmo Yang (now based at Hanyang University in South Korea) and was co-authored by Professor Philip Oldfield, Head of the School of Built Environment at UNSW.

If found that in several respects, apartment design layouts are failing to meet the needs of families.

For one thing, the study found that many of the newly built apartments on offer are too small for families.

Of those apartments that were analysed for the study, as many as 81 percent offered only one or two bedrooms.

Beyond this, the study found that typical layouts of newly constructed apartments are not ideal from the viewpoint of households that involve entire families.

Among parents who were interviewed for the study, a significant number indicated a preference for an inner hall or corridor to be included within their dwelling.

Parents also wanted a layout which catered for different ages of children.

Those with younger children generally wanted bedrooms that were closer together and facilitated supervision.

By contrast, a significant number of parents who have older children preferred bedrooms that were further apart so as to enable their children to have privacy.

Shared spaces are also highly sought after.

Despite this, 55 percent of all apartments analysed in the study were ‘centre-shaped’ space types that did not have a hallway or a corridor.

Largely speaking, the researchers found that much of the mismatch between new apartment designs and preferences of families occurs as designs are being primarily driven by developer profit considerations.

In particular, developers prefer layouts which deliver upon minimum regulations but are largely standardised and generic and are thus cheaper and faster to build.

Compounding this is the fact that a large number of apartments are being sold to investors as first purchasers.

This is leading to a developer preference for designs which appeal primarily to an investor market.

Often, these involve one or two-bedroom dwellings that are constructed without a hallway.

Whilst many of the architects who were interviewed were more concerned about creating optimal living environments, it is developers who hold the purse strings and have the final say on design parameters and decisions.

Indeed, several of the architects who were interviewed for the study say they are bound by design templates provided by developers when deciding upon spatial configurations.

To make apartments more suitable for families, the researchers suggested that flexible layouts should be adopted.

These could be made possible by (non-structural) moveable internal walls that can be knocked down and adjusted over time. Moveable furniture would then add additional flexibility.

Such a solution could enable occupants to alter room numbers and to adjust the layout of their apartments as their needs and requirements evolve.

It particular, it will provide families with the flexibility to adapt their apartments as their children grow.

If incorporated early on during design, such solutions can also be implemented with relative ease and low cost.

Meanwhile, Yang says that flexible designs could help to boost profits for developers by enhancing their reputation and further by enabling them to attract families as purchases of dwellings within their developments.

From a regulatory viewpoint, incentives could be considered for developers who deliver family-suitable apartments.

Oldfield says the importance of designing apartments which are suitable for families should not be underestimated.

“We know that good-quality, well-designed apartments can make excellent homes for families with children,” he said. “And while more families are making apartments their homes, too few are being designed with their needs in mind.”

“Generally, developers focus more on the number of bedrooms and location than on architectural design or room layout. They prefer generic, standardised apartment layouts that meet the minimum regulations because they’re cheaper to make and easier to sell, but that is fundamentally mismatched with what families want.

“This idea that apartments are not for families and are just for young working professionals is not true anymore, so we must build apartments for the diverse spectrum of people who live in them.”

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