Properly designed apartments - 7 criteria to consider when looking for an apartment
Buying a home is an important but challenging time in the life of any young family. It can be difficult to find the place you resonate with and want to call home. Beyond all the things that are noticeable at first sight and that tempt you to immediately say “yes” to the new home, you need to pay attention to a few very important things before making the final decision. Around them, the well-being of family members, health and harmonious relationships will be strengthened.
1. Natural light
First of all, you must know that natural light is particularly important in creating a healthy, welcoming, but also functional micro environment, helping equally to improve the characteristics of an apartment. The lack of natural light instantly gives the impression that the place is cold and unwelcoming, while exposure to sunlight improves our rest, helping us maintain our heart rate while we sleep. So how do we make sure our future apartment gets enough natural light? First, we check that there are as many glazed areas as possible on the south side of the block’s orientation and that, towards areas of increased interest, such as the terrace, the lake or the nearby forest, we have large windows. It is scientifically proven that simply looking at beautiful natural scenery for 40 seconds improves our mood and causes the brain to enter a more relaxed state, subsequently increasing attention and concentration.
2. Large glazed areas
As we specified, large glazed areas are relevant for enhancing people’s well-being. In addition, as long as the sunlight penetrates the rooms optimally, i.e. at the right distance from the window, it will provide uniform and pleasant lighting to the rooms, and the shadow areas will be much smaller not allowing mold to develop. Besides the fact that we will feel encouraged to go outside more often, something particularly beneficial for our health, large windows offer new perspectives in defining and decorating the interior of an apartment. Moreover, they will encourage us to bring the outside inside, that is, to enjoy as many light-loving plants as possible, which will purify the air and can influence our mood. On the other hand, glazed apartments allow sunlight to penetrate easily and are among those that ensure high energy efficiency, encouraging the use of natural light throughout the day.
3. The existence of a terrace
Connected to the generous windows and the easy penetration of natural light, in a properly designed apartment we will appreciate the existence of a terrace and, of course, easy access to it. This aspect plays an important role in choosing a home, especially when we think about the multiple benefits that a terrace presents. In fact, it enlarges the dimensions of an apartment that does not have access to a garden, giving the opportunity for residents to spend more time outdoors, but without leaving the house. Moreover, a terrace gives people the opportunity to enjoy natural views, the experience of micro-gardening or even enjoying a favorite food or drink, breathing fresh air. All this will add value to the home we are looking to buy, appreciating even more if access to the terrace can be made from each component room of the apartment. Being close to nature is palpable, accessible and much more pleasant when we can go out on the terrace from any room.
4. Properly designed apartments – room optimization
The optimal design of an apartment also requires the correct setting of the height of the rooms. When we talk about the thermal comfort provided, the rooms that are around 270 cm tall have an important advantage, namely that of allowing a vertical stratification of the air depending on the temperature. Thus, the warmer air will move towards the ceiling and the cooler air, more optimal for our health, will be moved down, where people move and carry out their activities inside the rooms. It is important that the space that remains empty at the top of the room, in continuation of the height of the residents, is not used to create storage spaces. This is essential for the proper functioning of the climatic comfort of the rooms of an apartment.
5. The optimization of interior spaces
Closely related to the height of the rooms is the optimization of the interior spaces. This will give fluidity and easy access inside the apartment, if the small spaces, which are not really useful, will be completely diminished. Practically, in an apartment carefully designed from the perspective of the component spaces, we will have the feeling of openness and purpose successfully fulfilled, when the respective areas come to the aid of its residents, giving them freedom of movement and the possibility to easily customize their design. For example, if the residents were asked from the beginning how they want the kitchen to be designed – closed or open space, they would feel more strongly that this apartment belongs to them, represents them and is an extension of them.
6. Properly designed apartments – utilities
Judging by the way they are integrated into the architecture of the apartment, utilities are particularly important in the dynamics of available spaces in a house. In properly designed apartments, they must be arranged as discreetly and aesthetically as possible, but also as easy to manage, in case of malfunction. For example, if the chosen apartment benefits from a district heating plant, and the specific installation is not actually located in the kitchen, hall, or terrace, but in a specially designed space within the neighborhood, so the maintenance and repair interventions will not disturb the residents in any way. On the other hand, the level of safety that the facilities present to the residents must be analyzed, and this can be done by researching the quality and type of materials used in construction.
7. Construction materials
Qualitative and durable construction materials, thermal and sound insulation, the facade and other components of the design and construction of an apartment represent a picture that must be viewed as a whole, so that we can see how together they generate comfort and continuous well-being for people who live in it. In urban congestion, soundproofing will make a difference for properly designed apartments, even if car access to the neighborhood is managed in such a way as to reduce noise and encourage walking. Along with countless other advantages, a ventilated facade will help in this sense, but also to double the thermal insulation with basalt wool, thanks to the reduced transfer of heat to the outside, maintaining an optimal vapor balance inside.
If you resonate with all these living conditions and are ready to embrace life in a neighborhood where your happiness comes first, h4l provides you with homes designed to revolutionize the way construction is done in Romania. Settle into your home, choosing one of the apartments that bring joy into life!
This article also exists in Romanian here – Apartamente proiectate corect – 7 criterii pe care să le ai în vedere atunci când îți cauți un apartament