Influences on Apartment Design: A History of the Spatial Layout of Apartment Buildings in Sydney and Implications for the Future

This paper traces the history of apartment design with an emphasis on spatial layout. It charts the events that have influenced apartment design in Sydney, Australia and provides a framework for understanding how changes in society, the economy, regulations, and architectural paradigms have influenced apartment layouts over time. Through a review of historical and contemporary apartment plan drawings in Sydney, we identify four chronologically distinct eras: layouts reflecting physically separate rooms and a healthier living condition (1900–1935); layouts following function (1935–1961); layouts enhancing interaction between family members (1961–2002); and layouts for independent life and to satisfy minimum regulatory requirements (2002–the present). We then consider these distinct eras in relation to political, economic, and social influences at the time. We propose that prior to 1961, changes in social paradigms and architectural thinking and the development of technologies were the main drivers of apartment layouts. After 1961, changes in the economy, the housing market, and regulations appear to have had more influence. This historical analysis provides insights into factors contributing to current apartment layouts and how different social, economic, and regulatory levers may influence them in future. These insights will be useful to both practitioners and academics in international jurisdictions considering how to encourage improved apartment spatial layouts in future.