Feasibility of incorporating open spaces in the design of micro- apartments in residential environments

Abstract

To address the housing crisis in developing countries the concept of small housing (micro houses) came into existence and took over the open spaces in the city – while an immediate solution for the crisis, this policy has created physical, functional, environmental and social problems. Although micro-houses are sustainable residential dwellings that maximize space usability while minimizing the ecological footprint, the spatial design of the dwelling units have evolved to accommodate the necessary requirements while eliminating open spaces within the units. With the rise in urbanization and the need for accommodation, cities have seen a gradual transformation of courtyard houses to apartments which has significantly contributed to the omission of open spaces within these housing units.

The necessity of these open spaces (public, private, semipublic, semi private) govern the perception of users with regard to commodity and society while bringing forth a sense of belongingness towards the house and the built space, thus providing houses that enhance the lifestyle of the user plays an important role in building social, economic and environmental sustainability.

This research paper aims to explore the feasibility of incorporating open spaces in the design of micro houses in residential environments while understanding the characteristics of open spaces within residential areas in the light of housing layouts and coming up with guidelines to incorporate the same in the initial planning and design stages of the residential complexes.

Snowball sampling method has been incorporated to understand the user behavior in and around open spaces and analyze the issues faced by the user.

The expected outcome is to understand the spatial preferences to balance open spaces within a private and semi-private magnitude.