A substantial percentage of respondents (62.4%) to a recent survey by Multifamily Design + Construction magazine (a BD+C sister publication) had provided additional storage space or lockers outside the living units—a strong indication that tenants and condo owners crave extra space for their stuff.
Tenants also crave lounge spaces (both indoor and outdoor) and other areas where they can socialize and relax, including rooftop terraces, coffee bars, fire pits, and cafés, according to the survey of 215 multifamily developers, designers, and builders.
Two-thirds of respondents (67.5%) said they had included a lounge in a recent apartment or condominium project—a relatively easy amenity to supply, which raises the question, Why not 100%?
Half of respondents included a café; ditto for a community kitchen. Additional indoor amenities: video/film screening room (20.6%), music-rehearsal-performance room (12.9%), and—perhaps an up-and-coming offering—wine cellar/wine storage on site (15.4%).
Respondents also stated they had provided a wide variety of “other” outdoor amenities to guests: outdoor movie screens (17.6%), Jacuzzis (17.1%), and catering pantries (11.1%).
More results from the MFDC survey to come next week.
Outdoor multifamily amenities:
Storage (outside the units): 62.4%
Fire Pit/Grill: 60.8%
Lounge Area: 59.3%
Rooftop Terrace (tie): 55.3%
Garden Walk (tie): 55.3%
Pool (indoor or outdoor): 49.8%
Community Kitchen (outdoor): 36.7%
Cabanas: 33.7%
Community Garden/Urban Farm: 29.7%
Indoor multifamily amenities:
Lounge: 67.5%
Coffee Bar/Café: 51.0%
Community Kitchen (indoor): 50.5%
Library/Reading Area: 36.6%
Catering Area: 28.9%
Base: 214
Source: Multifamily Design + Construction Reader Survey, June-July 2017
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Oct 6, 2015
Multifamily completions in buildings with 50 or more units continues to climb
The Census Bureau estimates that 255,600 multifamily housing units were completed in 2014 in buildings with at least five or more units, representing a 37.3% increase over the previous year and the highest total in those multi-unit structures since 2009.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 2, 2015
Utilities should do more to give building owners energy use information
Owners of multi-tenant buildings lack basic information.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 1, 2015
Wiel Arets unveils twin, 558-foot mixed-use towers in Bahrain’s capital
The development, Bahrain Bay Tower, will consist of two residential towers connected “by a plinth of retail, office, parking, and public park space.”
Multifamily Housing | Sep 29, 2015
The developer that planned a mosque near Ground Zero now proposes a five-star condo tower instead
Sharif El-Gamal of Soho Properties is looking to cash in while lower Manhattan’s real estate market stays hot.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 28, 2015
Vo Trong Nghia’s 'diamond lotus' will feature sky garden pathways linking high-rises
The 22-story housing complex in Ho Chi Minh City will have façades covered with plants and a rooftop garden that connects the structures.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 23, 2015
Richard Meier unveils design scheme for residential high-rise in Taipei
The sleek and minimalist luxury tower will offer guests and residents views of the iconic Taipei 101.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 16, 2015
Kengo Kuma proposes ‘carved tower’ for downtown Vancouver
The 40-story residential tower, to be built in downtown Vancouver’s West End neighborhood, will have 188 residential units, "with many units within the carved deductions possessing substantially sized patios," according to Vancity Buzz.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 16, 2015
Quarter-acre of land is enough space for an upscale Chicago apartment complex
The building will hold 90 micro apartments, 40 pre-furnished extended-stay hotel rooms, and a small retail space on the ground floor.
Giants 400 | Sep 10, 2015
MILITARY SECTOR GIANTS: Clark Group, HDR, Fluor top rankings of nation's largest military sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest military sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report
Multifamily Housing | Sep 4, 2015
Seattle releases affordable housing ‘grand bargain’ between developers, advocates
Includes linkage fee to further goal of constructing 6,000 new affordable units.
