Design Checklist
- Provide adequate storage for everyday household items within the apartment
- Suitable space is provided for a washing machine, for drying clothes, and for waste and recycling bins within the home
- Provide storage for sporting, leisure, fitness and hobby equipment in an easily accessible space elsewhere in the apartment building
- Provide readily accessible space (internal or external, depending on the circumstances) for equipment associated with children such as pushchairs and bicycles
Satisfaction surveys show that a lack of storage space is a major dislike for apartment dwellers.
Providing storage space for items ancillary to people's living needs, both 'every day' items such as cleaning equipment and 'occasional use' items such as suitcases, is important.
The size of this space should be proportional to the number of occupants intended for an apartment. 1.5sqm per two person apartment and 0.5sqm for each additional occupant is recommended.
Storage space should also be provided outside the apartment for large items such as sporting and garden equipment or bicycles.
Suitable space for utilities (washing, drying, waste, recycling) should be designed into the apartment so that it does not negatively impact on any habitable rooms. For example, laundry cupboards can be incorporated into kitchens.
Storage space must be considered early in the design stages of a development. This is especially true of garage or remote lockup space. Ideally, storage spaces should be built-in as this allows for the most efficient use of available space in each apartment.
Owner-supplied freestanding storage units must also be allowed for in the apartment plan, including units for audio-visual equipment and personal effects.