S Apt Postwar 2-Lot — Re-Housing the Yellowbelt

‘L’ Shaped Apartment on Two Lots

‘L’ shaped buildings fit well on corner lots, providing two distinct frontages.

Occupancy and Density:
Total Unit Count: 26 Units
Total Occupancy: 57 Bedrooms
Lot Area: 1,403 sqm (15,102 sqft)
Soft Landscaping: 334 sqm (3,595 sqft), 24% of lot

Housing Statistics:
Total Floor Area: 3,153 sqm (33,939 sqft)
1-Bed Units: 10 (1 Barrier-free)
2-Bed Units: 4 (2 Barrier-free)
3-Bed Units: 9
4-Bed Units: 3
Parking Spaces: 8 (1 Barrier-free)

Oftentimes, ground-floor units in large apartment buildings have doors that open to a small patch of grass adjacent to parking or service areas, without much privacy or useable space.

With Small Apartments Case Studies 01, 02 (pictured above) and 03, ReHousing experimented with different treatment of private outdoor areas for ground-oriented units. The use of low planters, raised decks, overhangs, and intentional areas for planting aim to make these outdoor spaces more useable and comfortable, while avoiding fencing and other rigid spatial divisions.

This building makes use of external circulation. Units on floors 1 and 2 are accessed from grade, while units on floors 3, 4, and 5 are accessed from an open-air corridor that also serves as a communal outdoor space. Units on floors 5 and 6 are two-storey units and each have a rooftop garden, providing residents with additional outdoor areas. Communal services are located on the ground floor facing the Major Street. This combination of unit types and outdoor spaces seeks to blend the best aspects of apartment living—shared utilities and a sense of community—with the benefits of single-family living, including outdoor access and privacy.

Back to Matrix of Small Appartment Typologies