Foreign Apartments Last 77 Years, Korean Ones Can't Even Remove Walls... The Secret of Long-Life Housing Lies in Columns and Beams [Boomerang High-Density Apartments ⑨]

Average Lifespan of Korean Apartments: 27 Years
Walls and Floors Bear Loads in Wall-Structured Buildings
Load-Bearing Walls Can't Be Removed, Making Changes Impossible
Long-Life Housing Allows Modifications as Needed
LH Leads Expansion

'77 years in the UK, 55 years in the US vs. 27 years in Korea'.

This refers to the difference in the average lifespan of multi-family residential buildings, such as apartments, by country. Overseas, research into "long-life housing" began in the 1960s with the goal of making living spaces more flexible. The idea was that if a house was built to last for a long time, it should also be easily adaptable and allow for convenient repairs and maintenance. In Korea, discussions led by the government and academia began in the 1990s, followed by the introduction of a certification system in 2014, and the first pilot complex was established in Sejong in 2019.

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Long-life housing differs from standard wall-structure apartments. In wall-structure buildings, the weight is supported by the walls and floors, whereas in long-life housing, columns and beams serve this function. As a result, it is virtually impossible to remove load-bearing walls and change the internal structure in wall-structure apartments.

In column-structure buildings like long-life housing, partition walls can be removed. While the plumbing for bathrooms in wall-structure apartments is located in the ceiling of the unit below, in long-life housing, it is placed in the floor or wall of the same unit. Although the initial construction cost of long-life housing is about 3 to 5 percent higher, the ability to renovate and reuse the space over a long period leads to social cost savings in the long run.

Currently, apartment complexes with more than 1,000 units are required to obtain at least the general grade under the long-life housing certification system. This certification evaluates factors such as concrete quality, durability, the proportion of load-bearing walls, ease of variable layout, and ease of renovation, and divides them into four grades from general to excellent. If a project receives an excellent grade, a 15% relaxation of coverage and floor area ratios is permitted. According to Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), there have been 1,353 certifications in the past 10 years since 2015; among these, only 25 received a "Good" grade and just one received an "Excellent" grade. Most projects only achieved the general grade.

A partition wall installed inside the Pyeongtaek Godeok A-58BL multi-family housing project ordered by LH and constructed by Daebo Construction. Provided by Daebo Construction

Since 2018, LH has promoted pilot districts for long-life housing in Seoul, Goyang, and Hwaseong, and each year has received "Good" or higher grades for more than 2,000 units. Starting with the first leading district in 2020, LH obtained a total of 15 "Good" and 1 "Excellent" certifications for six rounds of leading districts through last year. The public rental apartment project in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, which received business plan approval last year, became the first public apartment complex to attain the "Excellent" grade. The total number of units, including completed complexes and those with approved business plans, amounts to 15,868.

In its mid- to long-term roadmap released in 2024, LH announced plans to expand the supply of long-life housing by improving the certification system, establishing quality management standards, and presenting standard designs. This year, LH plans to steadily increase supply, including the groundbreaking of about 3,000 units.

LH Seoul Yangwon S1-1 Apartment. LH promoted it as a long-life housing pilot project complex in 2018 and completed construction in 2021. Provided by LH

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