Design Checklist
- Service areas are well located in relation to street access and scheme design
- The service areas are well designed and located for ease of use, encourage waste minimisation and facilitate composting
‘Service area' refers to an area that is external to the apartment building and used for the storage and collection of waste and recycling from individual apartments.
A service area is different from a service court, which is a private or communal outdoor area used for garden sheds, clothes lines etc.
Often the service area is a concealed space in the basement designated for waste or recycling. Where this isn’t possible, designing for at-grade storage and collection of waste is important. Such design contributes to the visual appearance and overall amenity of a development.
Recycling is becoming increasingly important and therefore designing-in flexibility and space for increasing levels of recycling is a good idea.