Ground Floor Apartments

Ground floor apartments offer the potential for at-grade landscaped private open spaces and direct access from the street. They also provide opportunities for the apartment building and its landscape to respond to the human scale of the streetscape. On steep sites they may be located over different floors of the building stepping down the site.

Ground floor apartments can be of particular benefit to the elderly and disabled as they are generally more accessible. They also suit families with small children and extend the lifestyle choices available in apartment buildings by facilitating activities such as home business, gardening, outdoor play and pet ownership.

Ground floor apartments should address the public domain

and be accessed directly from the street

Street frontage activity is maximised where ground floor apartments are located.

The ground floor component of this double storey apartment is

flexible and can be used as a home office

Design of ground floor apartments delivers amenity and safety for residents.

Plan and section of a double storey apartment which is directly accessible from the street

Design Guidance

Direct street access should be provided to ground floor apartments.

Activity is achieved through front gardens, terraces and the facade of the building. Design solutions may include:

• both street, foyer and other common internal circulation entrances to ground floor apartments

• private open space is next to the street

• doors and windows face the street

Retail or home office spaces should be located along street frontages.

Ground floor apartment layouts support small office home office (SOHO) use to provide future opportunities for conversion into commercial or retail areas. In these cases provide higher floor to ceiling heights and ground floor amenities for easy conversion.

Plan and section of a ground floor apartment with an elevated

terrace and a level private courtyard

The design of courtyards should balance the need for privacy

of ground floor apartments with surveillance of public spaces

Design Guidance

Privacy and safety should be provided without obstructing casual surveillance. Design solutions may include:

• elevation of private gardens and terraces above the street level by 1-1.5m (see figure plan and section of a ground floor apartment with an elevated terrace and a level private courtyard).

• landscaping and private courtyards.

• window sill heights that minimise sight lines into apartments.

• integrating balustrades, safety bars or screens with the exterior design.

Solar access should be maximised through:

• high ceilings and tall windows.

• trees and shrubs that allow solar access in winter and shade in summer.

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