Design for Aging

  • 1.  Residential to commons ratios

    Posted 09-23-2014 06:47 PM

    I'm looking for a rule of thumb for the ratio of net residential to net commons in an independent living project. Anyone have a typical range?
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    John Downie AIA
    John V. Downie, AIA, LEED-AP
    Newton MA
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  • 2.  RE: Residential to commons ratios

    Posted 09-25-2014 07:59 AM
    We've found that the % of common space can really vary depending on the context of the project. For what it is worth though, in our newest project (30 apartments, wood framed 3 story double loaded corridor building) we had:

    Apartments:   19500 SF
    Common:        2740 SF
    Onsite mgmt:      435 SF
    Circulation:      4895 SF
    Utility:  1800 SF

    This is all net - we assume about 12% add'l SF to include uninhabitable square footage.

    My experience is that more is usually better - clustered near entry to ensure that common space is used. Common rooms on upper floors tend to not get used unless they are a clear destination (like a work out space).

    Best of luck. You can email me if you have follow up questions. beall@cathedralsquare.org

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    Samuel Beall AIA
    Architect
    Cathedral Square Corporation
    Burlington VT
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