Apartment Building Types

Apartment development occurs in a variety of arrangements, configurations and types. Apartments can occupy different sized lots from large redevelopment areas to small infill sites, can consist of a mix of building types or uses and be situated in suburban, transitional or inner city locations.

The generic apartment building types in this section share common three dimensional and organisational characteristics and provide a high level overview of apartment development. They can be used during the strategic planning phase to:

• determine the appropriate scale of future built form
• communicate the desired character of an area
• assist when testing envelope and development controls to achieve high amenity and environmental performance of future buildings.

Building types can be adapted to fit specific urban contexts. A particular site configuration may be suited to accommodate a mix of types or uses. In larger developments multiple building types may apply and provide more housing choice and design variety.

The apartment building types in this section include:

• narrow infill apartments
• row apartments
• shop top apartments
• courtyard apartments
• perimeter block apartments
• tower apartments
• hybrid development

A series of examples representing these building types in more detail is provided in Appendix 4 of this guide.

Narrow Infill Apartments

Narrow infill apartment types are suited to narrow, deep lots. The design needs to consider privacy impacts on neighbours

Narrow infill apartments are typically two to three storey walk-up apartments (stairs only) or buildings with three to five levels and a lift.They are a response to the dimension of traditional residential lot sizes in suburban areas in NSW which are narrow and deep, and are often surrounded by a combination of detached houses and flat buildings from previous area.

Privacy impacts along side and rear boundaries to neighbouring properties need to be carefully managed as achieving minimum building separation can be a challenge. This building type is best used when:

• a narrow lot width or frontage results in a building envelope oriented perpendicular to the street frontage
• amalgamation opportunities of properties in the area are constrained.

Row Apartments

type, highly adaptable and able to respond well to sloping sites

Row apartments are generally well suited to both urban and suburban contexts. They are characterised by a limited number of units arranged around an access core and can be single buildings or a series of building modules. This building type is best used when:

• smaller building footprints are desirable
• live and work apartments or commercial/retail uses are encouraged at the ground floor level
• continuation of the street edge is desirable
• a vertical rhythm reinforcing existing subdivision or building patterns is desirable
• rear landscape areas are desired including keeping existing significant trees
• built form needs to step down the street to respond to a slope.

Shop Top Apartments

Shop top apartments are best suited to main streets and centres that require active retail or commercial frontages

Shop top apartments are mixed use residential buildings often located in established centres, along main streets or close to public transport hubs. They can be small infill or larger developments where the ground floor is occupied by retail or commercial uses. Shop top apartments typically range between two and six storeys and are best used when:

• increased residential uses are desired in established retail and commercial areas

• the context is a traditional main street

• zero setbacks to side boundary walls are possible or desired

• active frontages such as retail tenancies are desired at street level

• pedestrian activity on the street is desired

• rear lane access is available.

Courtyard Apartments

Courtyard apartments are able to fit and respond to a wide range of lot sizes, slopes, orientations and contexts

Courtyard apartments provide a centralised open space area, generally range between three and six storeys in height and are suitable in both urban and suburban settings. Their configuration depends on the context and site orientation. Courtyard apartments are a highly adaptable building type and are best used when:

• located on corner sites or sites with two or more public frontages

• located on sloping sites

• a landscaped street character is desired (by orienting the courtyard to the street)

• an urban character to the street is desired (by creating a street wall edge and orienting the courtyard to the rear)

• there is a predominant aspect or outlook.

Perimeter Block Apartments

street edge and achieve comparably high urban densities

Perimeter block apartments are suited to urban areas and are often integrated into street blocks. This building type is a key component of most European cities and its compact form achieves comparably high urban densities.

Perimeter block apartments define the street edge and achieve comparably high urban densities Typically, perimeter block apartments have elongated plans and apartments are generally arranged along a corridor, with a single or multiple cores depending on the building length.

They range from four to nine storeys and are best used when:

• an increase in residential density is desired

• a clear definition and continuous street wall edge is desired

• active frontages with commercial and/or retail uses are encouraged at lower levels (see shop top apartment building type)

• towers and tall buildings are not desired.

Tower Apartments

In commercial centres, tower apartment types are often combined with a podium of four to eight storeys

Towers are suited to central business districts, major centres and urban renewal areas. This building type can be freestanding or combined with block developments (podiums). The location and siting needs to reflect environmental considerations such as wind, overshadowing and visual impacts on surrounding properties and the public domain. Tower apartments are typically more than nine storeys and best used when:

• located in dense urban areas

• other towers exist in the surrounding context

• an area requires greater density than can be delivered by perimeter block buildings

• a strong vertical form or landmark is desired.

Hybrid Developments

Hybrid development types can respond to varying site conditions and achieve interface and future character outcomes

Hybrid developments combine different uses or building types in one development. They can incorporate community facilities and larger commercial or retail components, such as offices or a supermarket.

Hybrid developments are particularly relevant for larger sites that need to respond to a change in building form and scale within the adjacent context. This approach is best used when: