As more people are choosing to rent deeper into their lives than ever before, the things people expect from an apartment unit and a rental community are changing. For many, apartment living is no long a stop along the way, but a viable option for people who do not find homeownership appealing. Because of this, what people expect out of apartment communities has changed, as well.
As The Washington Post reports, people expect to get many of the same luxuries found in single-family homes in their apartments. Things like granite countertops, washers and dryers, and high-end fixtures are all becoming the norm. However, many people are willing to sacrifice some living space and the luxuries that come with it for a community packed with amenities, and the socializing that comes with those amenities.
The results from the National Apartment Association survey found that of the top 10 community amenities, five of them involve bringing people together. Clubhouses and common areas for socializing, fitness centers, business centers, and pet-friendly amenities were all included.
Studies about which amenities renters prefer help to design communities with the type of things they will actually pay for, eliminating some of the issues associated with what building owners provide, and what renters want.
BD+C's sibling publication, Multifamily Design + Construction, is conducting its own survey of designers, contractors, builders, and developers on what amenities they have specified in the last 24 months. Please take 3-4 minute to take the survey yourself. Click here to get started.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Apr 18, 2017
AIA honors three multifamily projects with 2017 Housing Awards
Bjarke Ingels’ VIA 57 West in New York is among the winners.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 18, 2017
Hanging Gardens-inspired CLT residential development proposed for Birmingham
Garden Hill will provide an ‘oasis-like residence’ for Birmingham’s growing, multicultural student population.
3D Printing | Apr 17, 2017
The Tokyo Pod Vending Machine resembles a giant game of Tetris in the sky
The building is designed to print and dispense its own dwellings in vending machine-obsessed Tokyo.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 10, 2017
Apartment deliveries will peak by mid-2017: Axiometrics report
A total of 343,582 apartment units will come onto the market in 2017, 55.7% of which in the first half of the year.
Mixed-Use | Apr 5, 2017
SOM-designed ‘vertical village’ is Thailand’s largest private-sector development ever
60,000 people will live and work in One Bangkok when it is completed in 2025.
High-rise Construction | Apr 4, 2017
Fifth tallest tower in the world opens in Seoul with the world’s highest glass-bottomed observation deck
Lotte World Tower’s glass-bottomed observation deck allows visitors to stand 1,640 feet above ground and look straight down.
Mixed-Use | Mar 27, 2017
The Plant brings terrace-to-table living to Toronto
Curated Properties and Windmill Developments have teamed up to create a mixed-use building with food as the crux of the project.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2017
Desirable L.A. neighborhood receives new 34-unit residential building
Killefer Flammang Architects designed the urban infill project.
High-rise Construction | Mar 22, 2017
Porsche Design Tower is, unsurprisingly, a car lover’s dream
The idea behind the residential tower was to provide residents with a full single family home in the sky, complete with a private garage and pool.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 15, 2017
Amenity-packed residential building is Zaha Hadid’s only NYC project
The building sits adjacent to New York’s popular High Line park and includes a $50 million penthouse.