Adaptable Housing – Analysis of Expandable Apartments in Reinforced Concrete Skeleton Construction

The issue of adaptable housing has been studied and verified in professional theory and practice for a long time. Currently, this topic is very relevant again, because its application in practice has been able to solve several problems related to social and ecological sustainability. The concept of adaptable housing uses several strategies, in particular flexibility, convertibility, expandability or downsizing. This article publishes partial results of research focused on the analysis of expandable apartments inserted into a reinforced concrete skeleton structure. Given the large number of old, unused buildings, the analysis of a reinforced concrete skeleton structure with a span of 7.8 m x 7.8 m, which was often used in Slovakia, especially in administrative buildings, was chosen for the purposes of publishing the results. Adaptable apartments with the potential for expansion or downsizing are inserted into open structures, which could provide more targeted support to various families who find themselves in need. During the concept design, the results of a survey focused on the requirements of various consumers were applied. The expandability of apartments will allow for higher efficiency of apartment occupancy with the same area and infrastructure. It is also believed that such modifications mean better use of space throughout the entire life cycle of buildings.