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Part of the reason apartments are getting smaller is the same reason lot sizes are shrinking — it’s the chase for a more affordable product.
“Part of the reason apartments are getting smaller is the same reason lot sizes are shrinking — it’s the chase for a more affordable product,” Mr Cresp said.
“Part of it is better design allowing for smaller apartments. It’s not about trying to create small dogboxes.”
Urban Development Institute of Australia WA president and QUBE Property Group director Rhys Kelly said small apartments were becoming more liveable by the inclusion of communal spaces, such as dining rooms to cater for dinner parties and shared gardens.
Margaret George, 27, said when she and husband Matthew bought a 29sqm East Perth apartment in September, the priority was to buy somewhere central so it would hold its value.
“I actually really like it,” she said.
“My husband insisted in moving in all our king-sized furniture but for the time we spend in it, it’s great.”
WA’s residential design codes advocate a minimum apartment size of 50sqm or 40sqm for habitable rooms and living space.
However, those rules do not apply to inner-city areas under the control of the Metropolitan Development Authority or apartments built before the rules were introduced.
Sydney recently introduced new rules on a minimum apartment size, worrying some in the industry who said it would stifle creativity.
WA Planning Minister John Day said the codes were used to make planning decisions and while there could be “some flexibility”, design and liveability were priorities.
