COVID-19 Accelerates Housing Market Trends: Apartment Complexes Gain Spotlight as Optimal Communities in the Untact Era

Daejeon Haneulchae Sky& Perspective View

As COVID-19 has prolonged, untact (contactless) interactions minimizing face-to-face contact have influenced society as a whole. Especially in the housing market, the importance of space is being highlighted as people spend more time inside their homes.

- A lifestyle changed 180 degrees by COVID-19... What are the future housing trends?

The advent of the untact era has brought about lifestyle changes different from before. First, there is a change in the work environment. Previously, commuting to the office to work was common, but recently, working from home has become a natural daily routine. Additionally, schools and academies have increased the proportion of online classes, replacing offline lessons. Leisure activities have also shifted indoors, with more people watching movies at home instead of theaters or joining the home training group (home training enthusiasts).

As many activities are now carried out inside the home, changes are expected in the housing market as well. Industry experts point to the so-called all in room, where everything can be done inside the home, as a future housing trend to watch. Expanding on this, the all in vill, where education, shopping, exercise, and leisure can all be enjoyed within a 15-minute walking distance from home, is also emerging.

- Residential-commercial complexes suitable for reflecting future housing market trends... soaring popularity

Currently, residential-commercial complexes are attracting attention as the complexes that best fit these trend changes in the housing market. First, these complexes offer excellent living convenience. Commercial facilities are developed within the complex, allowing residents to freely use all living convenience facilities just by taking the elevator. Residents can enjoy one-stop living while minimizing contact with outsiders.

Recently built residential-commercial complexes apply specialized designs to provide cozy and spacious interior spaces. Designed with 4-bay and slab-type layouts, they offer excellent ventilation and airflow. Additionally, some provide terrace service areas, making it easy to spend time with children at home.

Another strength is the variety of community facilities. Fitness centers, kids cafes, saunas, and more are provided within the complex, allowing residents to enjoy various activities without going far.

The rising popularity of residential-commercial complexes, driven by COVID-19 and changes in housing trends, is also evident in the subscription market. According to the real estate industry, this year’s top 10 subscription competition rates included Busan’s Ssangyong The Platinum Haeundae (226 to 1) and Gyeonggi Hwaseong’s Dongtan Station Heriot (149 to 1).

- Daejeon Haneulchae Sky& to be launched in November with smart innovative design and excellent community facilities

Accordingly, residential-commercial complexes about to be launched are attracting the attention of subscription applicants. A representative example is Kolon Global’s ‘Daejeon Haneulchae Sky&’ scheduled for sale in November in Seonhwa-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon. It will be a large-scale complex with 1,080 households, consisting of 998 apartments and 82 officetels, ranging from 5 basement floors to a maximum of 49 floors above ground, all with exclusive areas of 84㎡.

The introduction of smart innovative design also draws attention. The complex is arranged mainly facing south with 4-bay layouts applied, and all units feature a ceiling height of 2.4m, higher than the standard 2.3m, creating an open living space. The kitchen includes a scenic dining area (in some units) and a modular partition system (optional) that can be moved to create diverse spatial arrangements.

The latest designs overcoming the drawbacks of existing residential-commercial complexes are also applied. First, the first floor of the complex is designed as a park-type area without cars on the ground, serving as landscaping and resting space. This compensates for the previously cramped structure where the first and second floors of typical residential-commercial complexes were filled only with commercial spaces. There is no vehicle traffic on the ground, and a Mom’s Station and drop-off zone are designed as vehicle waiting and turning spaces to ensure children’s safety when boarding and alighting school buses. Each building has three elevators installed, allowing at least one ultra-high-speed elevator per household, and large elevators that can carry more than 20 people enable quick indoor and outdoor movement.

Additionally, the issues of low exclusive area ratio and high maintenance fees have been addressed. Residential-commercial complexes have traditionally had low exclusive area ratios, resulting in less usable space, but ‘Daejeon Haneulchae Sky&’ increases the exclusive area ratio to the level of general apartments by offering 3-sided balconies (in some units) and terrace houses (in some units) with an exclusive area of 84㎡. The high maintenance fees are also expected to be reduced due to the large-scale development.

The high-quality community facilities also attract attention. On the 49th floor, a sky community with an open city view will be created. This area will be designed as a study cafe with a dedicated elevator to improve accessibility. Shared kitchen-type resident cafes, coin laundries, fitness centers, dry saunas, indoor golf practice ranges, and indoor gyms will also be included.

A specialized product allowing children to run freely without worrying about noise between floors will also be introduced. The kids ground (land art), a playground facility combining sculptural mounding and wooden combination play equipment that helps creativity and physical development, will be created with outdoor landscaping. Parents can also relax while watching their children play in a well-equipped space.

An industry official said, “As time spent at home increases rather than outdoor activities due to COVID-19, the demand for living spaces that can accommodate all activities is increasing. Residential-commercial complexes are most optimized recently, reflecting timeliness, with their biggest advantage of living convenience complemented by improved ventilation and airflow designs and excellent community facilities.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.