Residents’ Experiences of Privacy and Comfort in Multi-Storey Apartment Dwellings in Subtropical Brisbane

Rosemary Kennedy,Laurie Buys,Evonne Miller

doi:10.3390/su7067741

Rosemary Kennedy, Laurie Buys + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su7067741

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Jun 17, 2015
Citations: 82	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Queensland University of Technology

Abstract

Dwellings in multi-storey apartment buildings (MSAB) are predicted to increase dramatically as a proportion of housing stock in subtropical cities over coming decades. The problem of designing comfortable and healthy high-density residential environments and minimising energy consumption must be addressed urgently in subtropical cities globally. This paper explores private residents’ experiences of privacy and comfort and their perceptions of how well their apartment dwelling modulated the external environment in subtropical conditions through analysis of 636 survey responses and 24 interviews with residents of MSAB in inner urban neighbourhoods of Brisbane, Australia. The findings show that the availability of natural ventilation and outdoor private living spaces play important roles in resident perceptions of liveability in the subtropics where the climate is conducive to year round “outdoor living”. Residents valued choice with regard to climate control methods in their apartments. They overwhelmingly preferred natural ventilation to manage thermal comfort, and turned to the air-conditioner for limited periods, particularly when external conditions were too noisy. These findings provide a unique evidence base for reducing the environmental impact of MSAB and increasing the acceptability of apartment living, through incorporating residential attributes positioned around climate-responsive architecture.

Highlights

Apartment buildings are proliferating in almost all major cities in subtropical and tropical countries globally
This paper places multi-storey apartment buildings (MSAB) within the context of urban sustainability in the Australian urban system, and identifies the conundrums associated with the suitability and acceptance of apartment buildings as a housing type in this mix
Is the multistorey building very energy-intensive in terms of both embodied energy and operational energy, but Australian residents have expressed a reluctance to transition to higher density neighbourhoods and apartment buildings

Summary

Introduction

Apartment buildings are proliferating in almost all major cities in subtropical and tropical countries globally. In Brisbane, a large Australian city in the subtropical zone, apartments are predicted to increase dramatically as a proportion of Brisbane’s housing stock over coming decades [1] This presents problems for the city’s key urban sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions reductions policies [2]. Australians prefer the relative autonomy and spaciousness of a detached house and are likely to choose apartment living for transitory periods of their lives, rather than long-term [5] This may be because apartment buildings currently fail to provide suitable accommodation for various demographic groups, and outer urban expansion is stimulated rather than dampened by inner-urban construction of apartment buildings that meet a narrow market band [6]. The challenges of designing comfortable and healthy residential environments that can better meet residents’ expectations of desirable places to live, and minimising energy consumption must be addressed urgently in Australia’s cities and cities in other warm climate countries, almost all of which are experiencing rapid growth in high-density residential environments

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