Case Study on living spaces in Hong Kong

Case Study on Hong Kong

The living spaces in Singapore and Hong Kong are similar in such a way that in both countries, the houses are getting smaller and smaller due to the lack to space and rise in population. The space in Hong Kong is limited due to the topographic constraints and government planning policy. These limitations have led to the compact design for houses and also urban developments. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated country in the world, with an overall population density of over 6350persons/km2 and 194,178 domestic households in 2006. There were arguments in favor and against the compact living spaces. It is being praised for the way houses are built as a large amount of residents are able to share common spaces and facilities within a massive housing estate. However, when there is a high concentration of residents it will result in a congested environment. Some buyers in Hong Kong are willingly to pay for desired attributes such as more floor area, access to facilities and also a nice view but they are also forced to pay for common spaces and facilities that are shared among other households too.

Compacted and high-density area

Limited space to have a proper meal inside a household

With the limited space that are meant for building of houses, high density development is one of the viable solutions in providing affordable housing to the citizens in Hong Kong. The government keep in control the amount of private developments that are being built through land sales and planning mechanisms. The land price is the highest cost component in private housing development. This causes the cost of private houses to rise as private developers try to maximise their profits by maximising the saleable area. The extremely high population results in majority of the residents living in higher-density housing development. These multi-storey housing are associated with smaller units for the large population whereas lower density housing have larger and more spacious units for the higher-income households. More than half of the housing units (55.3%) are private sector while the rest are under public housing.

There are no standards on the minimum amount of living space per capita in Hong Kong. The estimated average ‘saleable area’ of private housing was 15.6m2/person which is much lower compared to Japan with 18m2/person.

Quality living spaces can be of benefit to our community. These benefits can be from an environmental perspective, where green spaces provides shade, moderate local air temperature, and filters air pollutants and noise. These green spaces also gives a space for communities to come closer as recreational spaces are provided.

Case Study on Japan and Singapore

Japan and Singapore are similar in the way that both are modern, vibrant cities in Asia and aging society. Both also have a population generally lacking spatial awareness. In Singapore, it was hard to find smaller studios compared to Japan until recently. If you have a budge under $2000/mth, you would have to rent a common room and share the living spaces together with others. Landlords living in HDBs are also not allowed to rent out their rooms to foreigners as it is illegal to do so. Apartments in Japan are also designed more ergonomically, so that the limited space that they have are used efficiently. However, those building principles do not apply here in Singapore. Over here, I think that the balcony in most of the houses might be of a waste of space because not many people would make full use of it. For example, hardly anyone would  setup a study or a bedroom on their balcony.

The houses in Japan are presumed to have a rather short lifespan. They are generally torn down and rebuilt after a few decades. Some modern houses in Japan are designed in a way where they only make use of incredibly small or narrow spaces. For example, the Nada House, it is built upwards on a space that is barely 36sm. Its rooms are wrapped around a center shaft of light to pour in through. This house’s ground floor is almost the size of a storage room and space for a single car. The kitchen, dining and living rooms are on the second floor while the bedrooms are on the third. Most of the light come in through the roof as there are only 2 windows at the front and rear of the property.

sunlight coming in from the roof

view from the top floor

Another example is the Hori no Uchi house in Tokyo. This house only takes up 27.9sm from a 55sm plot of land. This building is sandwiched between the road and a river embankment, and might otherwise have eventually become little more than a parking space. The ground floor is the sleeping area while the second floor is a completely open-plan and allows for plenty of light to enter the living space. It also has a small loft space on the top floor.

outdoor view

overview of the house

Research

Experience

Looking at the experiences of others, the source of the problem was found: how the problem affected them and the problem was solved. These experiences came from family members, friends and our own experience.

From my experience, living spaces are decreasing and our daily necessities are increasing. Nowadays, most people have large electronics at home such as televisions and computers. This leading to us having lesser space to move around the house.

When guests visit our house, there will not be enough space for everyone to move around in comfort and some might even feel claustrophobic. As a design student myself, I tend to have large models and with the limited space, I might not be able to keep all my models.
In my opinion, I feel that a multifunctional or fold-able furniture would help to save a lot more space. Also, a multifunctional furniture which includes a bed and cabinet, we will be able to store our things underneath our bed. These will help to save space in a small room.

Self storage is a space that allows people who need more space to store their items, these people would have to pay for that storage space every month. They are able to take their things out as and when they need it.

Different living spaces

Type of living spaces

In Singapore, HDB flats includes 2-room, 3-room, 4-room, and 5-room. With different levels, some flats have a total of 12 or 13 levels, some can go up to 26 levels.  Apartments houses are much more expensive compared to normal flats. Villas that are located far from the city are mostly for richer. In other countries, people who cannot afford average houses, live in special spaces, like the container), or car house, which is a large car, with all the daily necessities, like a small and movable house.          

                                                         Container house

Also, some people would prefer to have a house built on a tree. These houses are often located in a nature reserved environment, for example, in the forest. Most of the time houses that are built on trees are for travelers or those who want to experience living in a new space and environment. Nature lovers would also like to build their own house in this environment.

tree house